“AIRPORT STANDOFF WAS PURE THEATRE, NOT ARREST ATTEMPT – ACTIVIST FIRES AT EL-RUFAI”
Civil rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju has dismissed claims of a plot to arrest former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, calling the incident exaggerated and staged for public attention.
Speaking on Friday in an interview with ARISE News, Adeyanju said, “I am not convinced that there was any plan to arrest him. I’m not convinced from the clip.” He described El-Rufai as “someone who thrives on political drama” and suggested the former governor was prepared for cameras upon arrival.
Adeyanju also challenged El-Rufai’s claim that security operatives tried to detain him without lawful authority. He argued that the seizure of El-Rufai’s passport was likely the intended action, not an arrest. “If there was a plan to arrest him, for sure they would have arrested him,” he said, adding that Nigerian law allows arrests under certain circumstances, including with probable cause or a valid warrant.
Offering a “free tutorial,” Adeyanju explained, “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.”
However, he stressed that any unlawful arrest would be unconstitutional and unacceptable, noting that “his rights must be respected, but he must be investigated.” Adeyanju suggested that the Department of State Services (DSS) may have acted under watch-list regulations, citing Section 2 of the DSS instrument regulation under the NSA Act, which allows passport seizure for individuals on the watch list.
He further questioned El-Rufai’s claims of political persecution, pointing to the former governor’s record. “It is so ironic today that the oppressors of yesterday are now crying. They are claiming to be emergency comrades,” Adeyanju said, citing figures allegedly targeted during El-Rufai’s tenure, including Chidi Odinkalu, Audu Maikori, and Shehu Sani. He also accused El-Rufai of demolishing properties of political rivals.
Adeyanju called for full accountability, insisting that El-Rufai must submit to investigation. “He cannot be the judge, jury, and executioner. He should submit himself to investigation and probe,” he said, stressing that investigation does not imply 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.”
