By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, of ordering his arrest and orchestrating what he described as an attempt to detain him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Thursday.

El-Rufai made the allegation on Friday during an interview on Prime Time on Arise Television, claiming that Ribadu personally directed security operatives to arrest him upon his arrival in Abuja.

The former governor was involved in a heated exchange with security officials at the airport shortly after landing in the country. According to his aide, operatives briefly restrained him and confiscated his international passport before escorting him out of the terminal, as supporters gathered outside chanted in solidarity.

El-Rufai alleged that a telephone conversation involving the NSA was intercepted and that he heard Ribadu instructing officers to detain him.

“The NSA’s call was tapped. They do that to our calls too, and we heard him saying they should arrest me,” he claimed.

He did not provide evidence to substantiate the allegation, and as of the time of filing this report, Ribadu had not issued an official response. The NSA has, however, previously denied similar accusations.

Reacting shortly after the interview, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, questioned El-Rufai’s admission that the NSA’s phone conversation was tapped.

“El-Rufai admitted on national television that someone tapped the phone of the NSA for him to listen to his conversation. When Charles Aniagolu pointed out that this was illegal, he agreed. By the time he is invited to produce the person who illegally tapped the NSA’s phone, he would claim persecution,” Ajayi wrote on Facebook.

El-Rufai further alleged during the interview that Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, NSA Ribadu and the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had conspired against him.

“Let me tell you, Kaduna Governor Uba Sani, the NSA and the ICPC chairman have arranged that I get abducted unfailingly today,” he said.

The allegations come amid heightened political tension between El-Rufai and some figures within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), following his sustained criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Dadiyata’s Disappearance

During the interview, El-Rufai also addressed the unresolved disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, a social media commentator who was abducted from his Kaduna residence in 2019 and has not been seen since.

He denied any involvement and rejected suggestions that his administration played a role in the activist’s disappearance. According to him, Dadiyata was primarily a critic of political actors in Kano State rather than Kaduna.

“Dadiyata lived in Kaduna, but he was not a critic of Kaduna State. We barely knew he resided in Kaduna until his abduction was reported. He was a critic of the Kano government at the time,” he said, implying that attention should be directed toward political actors in Kano.

Dadiyata’s case remains unresolved despite repeated calls by civil society organisations for a comprehensive investigation.

Kwankwaso and U.S. Legislative Move

El-Rufai also commented on reports of a bill proposed by some United States lawmakers seeking sanctions against former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, over alleged links to terrorism.

He dismissed the move as politically motivated and rejected claims associating Kwankwaso with extremist activities.

El-Rufai argued that if scrutiny were to be applied to political actors over the introduction of Sharia law in northern Nigeria, attention should focus on Zamfara State, where it was first implemented under former governor Ahmad Sani Yerima.

Despite alleging political persecution, the former governor maintained that he remains willing to honour any lawful invitation from security agencies.

“I am ready to appear wherever I am invited, provided it is within the ambit of the law,” he said.