Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has clarified that it was the operatives of the Department of State Services that attempted to arrest him at Abuja airport at the instance of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, not the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He made this clarification while Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Friday.
THE WHISTLER reports that in an earlier statement by El-Rufai’s Lawyer Ubong Akpan of the Chambers of Ubong Akpan, the lawyer condemned the attempted illegal arrest of his client by security operatives
According to the statement, Akpan accused the EFCC of being behind the attempted arrest.
“Yesterday, we explicitly informed them that he would appear at their office by 10:00 am on Monday, February 16, 2026. Resorting to arrest despite this clear commitment exemplifies arbitrary conduct and undermines procedural integrity,” the statement partly read.
However, El-Rufai gave a detailed account of the incident, describing how he was approached shortly after landing in Abuja.
“Well, I came out of the plane and a young man that is well-dressed with a nice suit came to me and said, I am from the DSS, Department of State Security. I would like to meet with you in our office. I said, that’s fine.
“Where is the letter of invitation? He said, my bosses have it. I will escort you to them. I said, I’m going through immigration. I have to do that. Just get me the letter,” he said.
He said he later noticed a growing presence of operatives noting that there was an attempt to compel him to follow them without documentation.
“Apparently they had moved about 50 DSS operatives to the airport with the specific instructions that I should be detained. I should be abducted and detained.
“I said, I’m not going anywhere until you show me a letter of invitation. Your guy said you have a letter. He said, no, sir. I said, if you don’t have a letter, I’m not going.”
According to El-Rufai, he insisted on completing immigration formalities first and resisted what he described as pressure from the officers.
He stated that he told them not to touch him, stressing that he would proceed to have his passport stamped and would not follow them without due process.
“Even the president cannot tell me I have to do anything. It’s a free country. It’s a democratic country. And I don’t have to do anything that I do not wish to do,” he said.
He further alleged that his aide who briefly held his passport during the encounter was assaulted, claiming the officers seized the passport from the aide and beat him.
“If I had the passport with me, I would not be talking this,” he explained.
Clarifying speculation about which agency was responsible, El-Rufai said it wasn’t the EFCC but the DSS.
According to him, the EFCC had previously written to invite him for discussions but his lawyers responded that he was on vacation and would honour the invitation upon return.
“I even said I’ll celebrate my birthday on the 16th and see them at 10 a.m.” he stated.
He, however, alleged that the ICPC sought to use the DSS to detain him before eventually issuing a formal invitation, suggesting political motivations behind the action.
The former governor also accused National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu of influencing those events, though he provided no independent proof beyond what he described as information available to his associates.
El-Rufai further argued that arrest without proper legal backing amounts to unlawful action, saying security agencies must obtain appropriate authorisation rather than compel attendance arbitrarily.
Addressing corruption allegations linked to his tenure in Kaduna State, El-Rufai insisted he has nothing to hide, stating his administration kept detailed records of financial and security decisions and challenging critics to present proof of wrongdoing.
“I have 16 years of public service. I have challenged every Nigerian who knows me to come forward if I have ever taken a bribe. We are a heavily documented government. Everything that has come to me for approval, I have records,” he said.
He also rejected claims that his government negotiated with armed groups, saying his administration maintained a strict stance against paying bandits or kidnappers.
“The position of the Kaduna State government when I was governor is the only repentant bandit is a dead one,” he clarified.