Ubong Esop Akpan, one of the lawyers of Malam Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, has given an update on the encounter between the former governor and security operatives at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, on Thursday.

There was an attempt to arrest the former governor upon his return from Egypt.

Muyiwa Adekeye, media adviser to El-Rufai, had narrated how his passport was seized after the botched arrest attempt.

In a statement, Akpan identified those behind the arrest attempt as operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

He said “ordinary Nigerians” at the airport insisted that El-Rufai could only be arrested upon a legitimate process.

“As counsel to Malam Nasir El-Rufai, we unequivocally condemn the attempted illegal arrest of our client by security operatives this afternoon upon his arrival in Abuja via Egypt Air flight MS 877 from Cairo. This is a flagrant violation of constitutional rights, executive overreach, and a deliberate disregard for the rule of law.”

“Upon his arrival, security operatives from the Department of State Services moved to arrest Malam El-Rufai without presenting any warrant or formal invitation. When he calmly demanded to see the letter of invitation — a basic entitlement of any citizen facing state action — none could be produced. No document, no signed directive, no lawful process. There was only raw power, unclothed by law. In the same unlawful manner, operatives physically snatched his international passport. This act is nothing short of stealing — the unlawful taking of private property by agents of the state acting without colour of authority.

“Ordinary Nigerians present at the airport, incensed by this open display of oppression, surrounded the scene and insisted loudly that he could only be arrested upon a legitimate process. Their voices, defiant and unbowed, were a testament to the citizenry’s unyielding commitment to the rule of law, even as state agents acted in flagrant disregard of it. That citizens had to remind security operatives of the Constitution is both shameful and instructive.

“No government agency possesses unfettered authority to detain citizens without due process. All public institutions and officials are bound by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which mandates adherence to legal protocols.

“This attempted arrest directly infringes upon key constitutional provisions guaranteeing fundamental freedoms.” (Daily Trust, but headline adjusted)