BREAKING: Tear Gas Fired As El-Rufai Supporters And Protesters Clash At EFCC Headquarters
Supporters of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Monday clashed with security operatives at the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) during his arrival for questioning concerning his time as governor.
The development comes days after his lawyer, Ubong Esop Akpan, disclosed on Thursday that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) had allegedly tried to arrest the former governor upon his arrival in Abuja.
According to Akpan, El-Rufai was approached by security officials shortly after landing in Abuja aboard Egypt Air flight MS 877 from Cairo.
He described the action as a violation of his client’s constitutional rights and an example of executive overreach.
The counsel explained that the EFCC’s invitation had earlier been delivered to El-Rufai’s residence while he was out of the country, making immediate compliance impractical.
He added that the legal team wrote to the commission in December 2025, notifying it that the former governor would respond upon his return to Nigeria.
Akpan further stated that the EFCC was formally informed that El-Rufai would voluntarily present himself at the commission’s office by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026.
He argued that any attempt to arrest him despite that commitment would undermine due process.
He maintained that there were no legal grounds for the alleged attempted arrest. Akpan called for the return of El-Rufai’s passport and demanded an apology for what he described as an infringement on his client’s fundamental rights.
However, speaking during an interview on Arise News on Friday, February 13, El-Rufai reiterated his readiness to honour the EFCC’s invitation and cooperate with any legitimate investigation.
He explained that his failure to honour a previous invitation last year was due to being on vacation at the time.
NEWSMEN reports that during the interview, El-Rufai made allegations against the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the DSS.
“The ICPC procured the DSS to abduct me for them; this is their modus operandi; they are personal tools of Nuhu Ribadu. The government thinks they are the only ones who listen to our calls without court orders, but someone tapped his phone, and I was informed,” he said.
But on Monday, his supporters carrying placards converged on the office of the EFCC in solidarity with the former governor, who at the time of filing this report was being grilled by the anti-graft agency.
