DSS says El-Rufai’s passport was seized at Abuja airport following request from anti-graft agency, denies arrest attempt.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has clarified the circumstances surrounding the reported seizure of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s passport at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The clarification followed a viral report attributed to El-Rufai’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, who claimed that security agents attempted to arrest the former governor on Thursday upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt.
Adekeye, writing on his verified X handle shortly after the incident, stated: “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.”
He further alleged that operatives seized the former governor’s passport during the encounter.
However, a source within the DSS dismissed as false and misleading claims that there was any attempt to arrest or detain El-Rufai at the airport.
According to the source, the action taken by operatives was limited to the seizure of his passport in compliance with a request from an anti-graft agency.
“We only seized his passport in response to a request by an anti-graft agency, so he would honour their invitation,” the source said.