Adeyanju to El-Rufai: Submit to Investigation, Stop the Drama
Rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju has dismissed claims by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) attempted to arrest him, insisting that the airport encounter was aimed solely at confiscating his passport.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News shortly after El-Rufai’s appearance, Adeyanju said there was no indication of a planned arrest.
“I am not convinced that there was any plan to arrest him. I’m not convinced from the clip. He’s always extremely sensational and a drama artist as well,” Adeyanju said.
According to him, if security agencies truly intended to detain the former governor, they would have done so formally, either through a warrant or on the basis of probable cause as provided under Nigerian law.
“If they had planned to pick him up, they would have arrested him. I think they wanted to target his passport and the DSS actually got his passport. That was what they wanted,” he stated.
Adeyanju, however, stressed that any attempt to arrest a citizen without due process would be unlawful and unconstitutional, adding that he would condemn such action irrespective of who was involved.
He suggested that the passport seizure may be linked to El-Rufai allegedly being placed on a security watch list, referencing Section 2 of the DSS Instrument Regulation under the NSA Act, which allows the agency to review travel documents of individuals flagged for monitoring.
“Immediately they put you on that watch list, it goes without saying that the first thing they will target is your passport. And I believe that they’ve gotten his passport,” he said.
The activist dismissed claims of political persecution, noting that El-Rufai had previously acknowledged scrutiny by anti-graft agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
Adeyanju also took aim at El-Rufai’s record while serving as governor of Kaduna State, alleging that several critics were arrested without warrants during his tenure. He mentioned figures such as Chidi Odinkalu, Stephen Kefas, and Audu Mekori as among those who faced alleged repression.
“Mallam Nasiru is even very lucky that his passport was taken from him. Several of his critics didn’t even get this kind of treatment,” Adeyanju stated.
He further accused the former governor of demolishing properties belonging to political rivals and suppressing dissent, describing it as ironic that El-Rufai now claims persecution.
“The oppressors of yesterday cannot suddenly become heroes today. He is a prominent violator of human rights and a prominent oppressor of the less privileged,” he said.
Adeyanju maintained that the former governor should submit himself to investigation and due process.
“He should submit himself to investigation and probe. It is after the investigation is done, if there’s a prima facie case, then he will be charged. Then he can have his day in court to defend himself,” he added.
As of press time, there has been no official statement from the DSS clarifying the circumstances surrounding the airport incident.
