Five security personnel have been taken into custody over allegations of accepting bribes to obstruct the arrest of Nasir el-Rufai at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
Investigations were carried out jointly by the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the Federal Ministry of Aviation.
The operatives reportedly involved include Ayuba Yakubu (Police), Murtala Inuwa (DSS), Najeeb Murtala (NIS), and Musa Adamu and Salihu Victor (Aviation Security). They allegedly confessed to taking bribes to allow unauthorized access into restricted areas, obstructing lawful security procedures.
The arrested officers have been handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for prosecution. Other NIS and NCS officials, who reportedly misused their uniforms to facilitate unauthorized entry but did not accept bribes, are expected to face internal disciplinary action.
The incident occurred on February 12 when security operatives attempted to arrest el-Rufai upon his return from Cairo, Egypt. According to Muyiwa Adekeye, el-Rufai’s media aide, operatives approached the former governor shortly after disembarkation, but he refused to accompany them without a formal invitation. Adekeye also claimed that officers seized el-Rufai’s passport from an aide.
Speaking 24 hours after the event, el-Rufai said, “It was ICPC that asked DSS operatives to arrest me upon arrival to the country.”
El-Rufai is currently in ICPC custody after previously being detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) during an ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities during his tenure as Kaduna governor from 2015 to 2023.
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On February 19, ICPC conducted a search at el-Rufai’s Abuja residence, prompting controversy after allegations surfaced that wiretapping equipment was recovered—a claim his family has denied. El-Rufai also alleged that someone illegally tapped the phone of Nuhu Ribadu, enabling the interception of a conversation in which the NSA purportedly ordered his arrest. He noted that while the action was illegal, government agencies sometimes conduct similar operations without court orders.
This latest development adds another chapter to the ongoing legal and political scrutiny surrounding the former governor.