El-Rufai’s lawyers condemn alleged unlawful arrest attempt at Abuja Airport, demand apology

Legal team of former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has strongly condemned what it described as an unlawful attempt by security operatives to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

According to a statement signed by his counsel, Ubong Esop Akpan of The Chambers of Ubong Akpan, the incident occurred when El-Rufai arrived in Abuja from Cairo, Egypt. The lawyers alleged that security personnel tried to detain him without presenting any arrest warrant or lawful directive and went ahead to confiscate his international passport.

The statement explained that the invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which reportedly led to the operation, was delivered to El-Rufai’s residence while he was out of the country. It noted that the former governor had maintained communication with the commission since December 2025 and had expressed readiness to honour the invitation upon his return.

According to the legal team, El-Rufai had formally informed the EFCC of his intention to appear at its office by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026.

“Resorting to arrest despite this clear commitment exemplifies arbitrary conduct and undermines procedural integrity,” the statement said.

It added that concerned citizens at the airport intervened during the incident, insisting that any arrest must be carried out strictly in line with constitutional provisions.

The lawyers further argued that the attempted arrest breached several sections of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), including Section 35 on the right to personal liberty, Section 36 on fair hearing, Section 34 on human dignity, Section 41 on freedom of movement, and Section 44 on the right to property.

They therefore demanded an immediate end to what they described as unlawful actions, the return of El-Rufai’s seized passport, and a formal apology from the relevant authorities.

The statement also warned that the legal team would initiate court action against all those involved in the incident in order to enforce accountability and protect the rule of law.

It emphasized that El-Rufai remains committed to complying with all lawful summons from security agencies and is prepared to seek judicial redress where necessary.

As of the time of filing this report, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other security agencies had yet to issue an official response to the allegations.