Security agents on Thursday attempted to pick up former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, upon his arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, from Cairo, Egypt.
El-Rufai’s spokesperson, Muyiwa Adekeye, stated this in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle shortly after the incident.
Adekeye said the operatives approached his principal as he alighted from his flight and sought to take him into custody.
He said el-Rufai declined to accompany the agents, insisting that he would not honour the request without a formal invitation.
Adekeye said the security personnel seized the former governor’s passport during the encounter.
It would be recalled that on Wednesday el-Rufai told the BBC Hausa that he could be arrested by the Federal Government. He expressed concerns over what he described as growing political intimidation against opposition figures.
The former governor, who recently defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress to the African Democratic Congress, said some of his close associates had already been detained.
“Four people we worked together in Kaduna have been arrested; so it’s only a matter of time before they come for me too,” he said.
Although he stated that he had not yet been arrested, El-Rufai suggested that the arrests of his associates signalled possible action against him.
