Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has alleged that National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu personally ordered his attempted arrest at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday, February 12, 2026.
In an interview with Arise Television on Friday, El-Rufai claimed security operatives approached him upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt, and tried to detain him, but he refused without a formal invitation.
He further alleged that the NSA’s phone conversation was intercepted, and he overheard Ribadu instructing operatives to arrest him.
“The NSA’s call was tapped. They do that to our calls too, and we heard him saying they should arrest me,” El-Rufai said.
He provided no evidence to support the interception claim. There has been no official response from Ribadu or the Office of the NSA as of this report.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that security officials briefly restrained El-Rufai, seized his international passport from an aide, and escorted him out of the airport amid chants from supporters who had gathered to receive him.
El-Rufai also accused Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, the NSA, and the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of conspiring to abduct him.
“Let me tell you, Kaduna Governor Uba Sani, the NSA and the ICPC chairman have arranged that I get abducted unfailingly today,” he stated.
The allegations come amid escalating political tensions. El-Rufai recently defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and has been a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Presidential aide Temitope Ajayi expressed concern over El-Rufai’s claim of intercepting the NSA’s phone call, describing it as an admission of illegal activity on national television.
“El-Rufai admitted on a national television that someone tapped the phone of the NSA for him to listen to his conversation. When Charles Aniagolu, the interviewer, interjected that that was an illegal action, El-Rufai agreed to the illegality,” Ajayi wrote on Facebook.
Ajayi suggested that if El-Rufai is summoned to produce the person who allegedly tapped the phone, he would likely accuse President Tinubu of tyranny and persecution.
El-Rufai also addressed the unresolved disappearance of social media commentator Abubakar Idris (Dadiyata), abducted from his Kaduna residence in 2019.
He denied any involvement by his administration, stating that Dadiyata was primarily a critic of political figures in Kano State, not Kaduna.
Regarding a US congressional bill proposing sanctions on former Kano Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso over alleged terrorism links, El-Rufai dismissed it as politically motivated and argued that if Sharia law implementation were the issue, scrutiny should focus on Zamfara State, where it was first introduced under Ahmad Yerima.
Despite the allegations of political persecution, El-Rufai confirmed he would honour a lawful invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for questioning on Monday, February 16, 2026.
“I have nothing to hide,” he said, denying any wrongdoing during his eight-year tenure as governor.
Both the EFCC and ICPC are investigating corruption allegations against him.
El-Rufai was a key APC figure and strong supporter of Tinubu’s 2023 election but fell out with the party after the Senate rejected his ministerial nomination and his successor in Kaduna began probing his administration.
