Supporters of former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai clashed with security forces Monday outside Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, where teargas was deployed to disperse the crowd as the ex-leader arrived for questioning over his tenure in office.
The confrontation erupted around 10:00 am at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) building in the capital, with placard-waving loyalists converging in solidarity amid El-Rufai’s ongoing feud with the Tinubu administration.
El-Rufai, who flew in from Cairo on EgyptAir flight MS 877, was grilled by investigators following a December 2025 invitation his legal team had pledged to honour upon his return. His lawyer, Ubong Esop Akpan, decried an alleged prior attempt by the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest him at the airport, calling it “a violation of constitutional rights and executive overreach.”
In a February 13 television interview, El-Rufai accused the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) of enlisting the DSS in a plot against him, linking it to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. “The ICPC procured the DSS to abduct me for them; this is their modus operandi; they are personal tools of Nuhu Ribadu,” he said.
The EFCC summons stems from allegations of financial impropriety during El-Rufai’s governorship, though specifics remain undisclosed. His team maintains he is cooperating voluntarily.
