…”He’ll honour EFCC invitation on Monday” – Counsel
Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i, will appear before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday.
Counsel to the former governor, Ubong Esop Akpan, disclosed this yesterday while reacting to the alleged attempt by security operatives to arrest el-Rufa’i at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Akpan said his client was approached by security agents yesterday afternoon upon his arrival from Cairo aboard EgyptAir flight MS 877.
Describing the development as a violation of constitutional rights, the lawyer accused authorities of executive overreach and disregard for due process.
According to him, the EFCC’s invitation letter was delivered to el-Rufa’i’s residence while he was already outside the country, making immediate compliance impractical. “The invitation from the EFCC was delivered to el-Rufai’s residence while he was already abroad, rendering it illogical to demand immediate attendance”, Akpan stated.
He further said that his law firm had since December 2025 communicated with the Commission, assuring that el-Rufa’i would honour the invitation upon his return to Nigeria. “We explicitly notified the EFCC that he would voluntarily appear at their office by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026”, he added.
Akpan argued that any attempt to arrest his client despite the communicated commitment to appear voluntarily amounted to arbitrary conduct and a breach of procedural integrity.
He further demanded what he described as the immediate cessation of efforts to detain the former governor and the return of his passport, which he alleged was seized during yesterday’s encounter at the airport.
As of the time of filing this report, the EFCC had not issued an official response to the claims.
Reacting to the whole fiasco via his official X account, el-Rufa’i wrote: “My lawyers have issued a statement that condemns the illegal attempt to arrest me today at the Abuja airport upon my arrival from Cairo. Our country must outgrow executive overreach and deliberate disregard for the rule of law”.
