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Ribadu Behind DSS Attempt To Arrest Me At Abuja Airport, Says El-Rufai
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Former Kaduna State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) member, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has alleged that the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, is behind the failed attempt to arrest him by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
El-Rufai made the allegation on Thursday night when former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, paid him a solidarity visit.
Speaking during his visit, Atiku strongly condemned the incident, describing it as not just an embarrassment to El-Rufai but to all Nigerians.
El-Rufai, in response, thanked Atiku for the visit, noting that it was his second solidarity visit in less than six months.
“Your Excellency, you have always shown concern for my personal welfare and that of our friends and associates, and this visit further enforces that concern that you’ve consistently shown, for which I will be eternally grateful,” El-Rufai said.
“What happened at the airport today as you correctly observed was most unfortunate, totally unnecessary, and probably criminal as well, because agencies have rules of engagement and all I asked for gave me a letter of invitation, and I will visit your office, but it turned out that it was the ICPC that procured the DSS to abduct me and hand me over to them.”
El-Rufai accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of orchestrating the attempted arrest.
According to him, “the ICPC chairman was acting on the direct orders of Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser”.
“We have reduced security agencies to be arms of a political party and a government that knows it is unelectable and wants to remain in power at all costs.”
The former governor urged opposition parties to remain vigilant ahead of the 2027 elections.
“I assure you that what has happened today has further reinforced my belief that we must work hard, we must not sleep between now and March 2027, until we remove this tyrant,” he said.
SaharaReporters had reported that security operatives on Thursday allegedly attempted to arrest former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, shortly after he arrived from Cairo, Egypt.
The claim was made by his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, who disclosed the development in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle.
According to Adekeye, security agents approached El-Rufai as he disembarked from his flight and tried to take him into custody.
However, the former governor reportedly refused to honour the request, insisting that he would not accompany them without a formal invitation or official warrant.
“Security agents today attempted to arrest Malam Nasir El-Rufai as he arrived on a flight from Cairo. Malam El-Rufai declined to follow them without a formal invitation,” Adekeye wrote.
He further alleged that during the confrontation, the operatives seized El-Rufai’s international passport from one of his aides.
“They, however, snatched his passport from an aide,” Adekeye added.
The development comes barely 24 hours after El-Rufai raised the alarm that he could be arrested at any moment, claiming he might be the next target in what he described as a widening crackdown on opposition figures.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, Senator Aliyu Wadada has promised to revive the committee’s activities after acknowledging concerns over its prolonged inactivity.
Wadada spoke on Thursday at the end of the committee’s meeting in Abuja.
Specifically, the chairman admitted that the committee had been underutilised, noting that it had met only once in the last three years.
He, however, said issues responsible for the situation had been identified during a closed-door session and would be addressed.
“Of course I feel concerned about it, but when we got into the details in a closed-door meeting, we got to know where the problems are, and they will all be taken care of. The committee will be as active as it should always be,” he said.
Commenting further, the chairman said the committee would focus on its core mandate of promoting and strengthening legislative relations between Nigeria’s National Assembly and parliamentary bodies across the world.
According to him, the committee will deepen engagement with regional and international legislative institutions, including the ECOWAS Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and other parliamentary organisations.
He disclosed that a new work plan had already been developed to guide the committee’s activities.
He added: “The direction is basically around the responsibilities of the committee, which is to promote and deepen legislative relationship within Nigeria and with other legislative bodies around the world”.
The chairman added that the committee’s first major activity would be a courtesy visit to the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament in Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation.
SINL NIgeria Online reports that Senator Wadada assured that the public would be kept informed of the committee’s activities as the new work plan is implemented.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has revealed that the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers has increased to N100,000 after the Federal Government reviewed their welfare package.
Musa made the disclosure during an interview with News Central ahead of his appearance on the NC Exclusive programme.
He said the adjustment was part of efforts by the government to improve the living conditions of military personnel.
Executive Branch
The former Chief of Defence Staff, however, said the country’s defence sector still requires more funding despite the improvement in soldiers’ earnings and welfare.
He stated that the current defence budget remains inadequate, adding that more resources are needed to effectively support the armed forces and their operations.
Musa explained that soldiers who previously earned about N49,000 monthly now receive at least N100,000 following the salary review carried out by the government.
The minister also called for tougher punishment for kidnappers, saying stronger measures are needed to reduce the increasing cases of abduction across Nigeria.
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Senator Wadada promises to deepen legislative ties, stop inactivity
Just in: FG jerks up salaries soldiers to N100k monthly
DAY 22 of Projects Commissioning in the FCT
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