Nobody planned to arrest him  —  Adeyanju describes El-Rufai as drama artist

2026-02-14 - 07:30

Civil rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju has dismissed claims that there was a plot to arrest former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai at the airport, insisting that the incident was exaggerated and staged for public attention. Adeyanju spoke on Friday during an interview on ARISE News, following El-Rufai’s claim that security operatives attempted to unlawfully detain him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. “I am not convinced that there was any plan to arrest him. I’m not convinced from the clip,” Adeyanju said. He described El-Rufai as someone who thrives on political drama. “I think Malam Nasir El-Rufai, just like everyone who agrees with me, is always extremely sensational and is 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.” Adeyanju also rejected El-Rufai’s claim that security agents tried to detain him without lawful authority. “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. If there was a plan to arrest him, for sure they would have arrested him,” he said. He explained that arrests and security actions are permitted under Nigerian law in certain circumstances. “Even Malam Nasir El-Rufai, I believe he has read some of our extant laws. You can be arrested with probable cause. You can also be arrested with a warrant,” he said. Offering what he described as a “free tutorial,” Adeyanju added that probable cause is a recognised legal basis for arrest. “Probable cause is a fundamental ground for arrest, and Malam Nasir El-Rufai is even very lucky that his passport was taken from him. Several of his critics didn’t even get this kind of treatment, the kind of fantastic treatment that he got at the airport.” However, the activist stressed that any unlawful arrest would be unacceptable. “If they had tried to do that, it’s unlawful. It’s unconstitutional. Of course I would condemn it. His rights must be respected. His rights must not be violated, but he must be investigated,” he said. Adeyanju suggested that the seizure of El-Rufai’s passport may have followed internal watch-list procedures of the Department of State Services. “I think Section 2 of the DSS instrument regulation, which is in compliance with the NSA Act, gives the DSS the power to seize someone’s passport if your name is on the watch list,” he said. He further argued that El-Rufai had himself acknowledged that security and anti-corruption agencies were seeking to question him. “He has said that he knew that the security agencies were looking for him. He has admitted that he had written to the EFCC. He has also alluded to the fact that the ICPC is investigating him. So if these agencies were looking for you and you are aware, why are you creating the drama there?” Adeyanju asked, referring to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. Beyond the airport incident, Adeyanju criticised El-Rufai’s claim of political persecution, describing it as ironic. “It is so ironic today that the oppressors of yesterday are now crying. They are now claiming to be emergency comrades,” he said. He cited individuals he said were targeted during El-Rufai’s tenure, including Chidi Odinkalu, Audu Maikori and Shehu Sani. “If you want to see what persecution is, go and look at all the victims of Malam Nasir El-Rufai when he was governor,” Adeyanju said. He alleged that the former governor also demolished properties belonging to political rivals, including Shehu Sani and Inuwa Abdulkadir. Calling for accountability, Adeyanju said El-Rufai must submit himself to investigation. “I am calling that he should be investigated for the alleged corruption. Some of his aides are already in custody. Some are standing trial. He cannot be the judge, jury and executioner. He should submit himself to investigation and probe,” he said. He stressed that investigation does not amount to guilt. “It is after the investigation is done, if there is a prima facie case, then he will be charged. Then he will have his day in court to defend himself.”