Civil rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju has dismissed claims by Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai that the Department of State Services attempted to arrest him, insisting that the encounter at the airport was focused on confiscating his passport.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News shortly after El-Rufai’s appearance, Adeyanju said he saw no evidence of a planned arrest.
“I am not convinced that there was any plan to arrest him. I’m not convinced from the clip. I think just like everyone would agree with me, he’s always extremely very sensational and he’s a drama artist as well.
“He’s very good at this opposition thing. He knew what he was doing and when he came in, he came very prepared for cameras.
“So I think that they wanted to target his passport and the DSS actually got his passport. I think that was what they wanted to get. Nobody planned to arrest him.” he stated.
He explained that under Nigerian law, arrests can occur with probable cause or through a warrant, stressing that if authorities truly intended to detain the former governor, they would have done so formally.
Still, he emphasised that any attempt to arrest a citizen without due process would be unlawful and unconstitutional, adding that he would condemn such action regardless of the individual involved.
“I don’t think anybody planned to pick him up. If they had planned to pick him up, they would have arrested him,” he said.
Highlighting El-Rufai’s record as governor, Adeyanju recalled a long list of critics who faced arrests without warrants during his tenure, including figures such as Chidi Odinkalu, Stephen Kefes, and Audu Mekori.
“Probable cause is the problem of the police. Mallam Nasiru is even very lucky that his passport was taken from him. Several of his critics didn’t even get this kind of treatment,” he stated.
He noted that El-Rufai demolished the house of political rivals and punished dissenters, but now claims to face persecution, which Adeyanju described as ironic.
He also addressed allegations of abuse of power, citing the massacre of Shiites in Kaduna and the killing of Sheikh Zayed Zaki, events that occurred without warrants.
Furthermore, he attributed the passport confiscation to El-Rufai being on a security watch list. He referenced Section 2 of the DSS Instrument Regulation under the NSA Act, which allows the agency to review the passports of individuals on watch lists.
“Immediately they put you on that watch list, it goes without saying that the first thing they will target is your passport. And I believe that they’ve gotten his passport,” he stated.
He dismissed the idea of political persecution in this case, arguing that El-Rufai himself had previously admitted to scrutiny by agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission.
Adeyanju also criticised the former governor’s record, saying he had repeatedly violated human rights and abused his office.
He cited incidents where teachers, civil servants, and traditional rulers were sacked, jailed, or deposed for dissenting against him.
“The oppressors of yesterday cannot suddenly become heroes today. He is a prominent violator of human rights and a prominent oppressor of the less privileged,” he said, referring to past actions in Kaduna, including the imprisonment of Christians in the Kadiru community for eight months.
He stressed that El-Rufai must be subjected to investigation and, if found culpable, face prosecution.
“He should submit himself to investigation and probe. It is after the investigation is done, if there’s a prima facie case, then he will be charged. Then he can have his day in court to defend himself,” he stated.