Atiku, Amaechi Visit El-Rufai After Airport Arrest Drama In Abuja
Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi have thrown their weight behind former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai following an attempted arrest at the airport in Abuja.
The two political figures were said to have visited El-Rufai at his residence in the Federal Capital Territory late Thursday night. Amaechi’s visit was described as a show of solidarity, coming hours after security operatives tried to detain the former governor.
The incident occurred at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport shortly after El-Rufai arrived from Cairo, Egypt. According to accounts shared by his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, security personnel approached him as he disembarked and attempted to take him into custody.
El-Rufai reportedly refused to go with the operatives, insisting that he would not submit to arrest without a formal warrant or written invitation.
“Security agents today attempted to arrest Malam Nasir El-Rufai as he arrived on a flight from Cairo. Malam El-Rufai declined to follow them without a formal invitation.”
Videos circulating online captured a tense standoff, with supporters and bystanders gathering around the former governor while operatives tried to enforce the move. Witnesses said the scene became chaotic as members of the public demanded that due process be observed.
During the confrontation, operatives allegedly confiscated El-Rufai’s international passport before withdrawing from the airport when he declined to accompany them.
“They, however, snatched his passport from an aide.”
As of press time, it remained uncertain whether the action was initiated by the Department of State Services or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, as neither body had issued an official statement.
In a reaction issued through his media office in Abuja, Atiku criticised what he described as a “crude and unorthodox attempt” to arrest the former governor.
“While I support the anti-corruption effort in the country (having been pivotal in setting up the commission), I am worried about the politicisation of arrests that disproportionately target opposition leaders, especially the ADC since it came into being”.
“The fanatical zeal the EFCC has been going after ADC coalition figures” is a deviation from its constitutional mandate.
He warned that the EFCC must not be reduced to a political instrument, adding, “if we continue on this path, the EFCC will lose credibility and compromise its independence.”
Atiku also recalled recommendations by the Uwais Panel on Electoral Reforms, which proposed that the EFCC chairman should be answerable to the Chief Justice of Nigeria to safeguard the commission’s independence. He lamented that the implementation committee established under the administration of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua did not adopt that proposal.
