Activist lawyer Deji Adeyanju has said former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai is facing “karma” rather than persecution, amid controversy over reports that security operatives attempted to seize his passport.
ENigeria Newspaper gathered Adeyanju’s remarks on Friday during an appearance on ARISE PrimeTime, describing El-Rufai’s actions as “sensational and dramatic” and suggesting that there was no concrete plan to arrest him. He argued that authorities were merely targeting the former governor’s travel documents, not planning detention.
The lawyer highlighted that Nigerian law allows arrests only with a valid court warrant or probable cause under existing legal provisions. He added that if there had been intent to detain El-Rufai, due process mechanisms were available.
“I am not convinced there was any plan to arrest Mallam El-Rufai. He is always extremely sensational and dramatic. He knew what he was doing when he arrived; he came prepared for the cameras. I think what they wanted was to target his passport, and the DSS got his passport. If there was a plan to arrest him, they would have done that,” he said.
“He was lucky that his passport was taken from him,” he added.
Adeyanju also criticized El-Rufai’s tenure as governor from 2015 to 2023, recalling instances where critics, including former NHRC chairman Chidi Odinkalu and journalist Steven Kefas, were reportedly arrested without warrants. He suggested that past abuses of power partly explain the heightened public attention to El-Rufai today.
“No one should be above the law. My call is for El-Rufai to be investigated. I am saying his rights must be respected. When they were in power, they behaved like gods; they didn’t always follow due process. Teachers went to court and obtained a restraining order against El-Rufai while he was governor not to sack them, but he proceeded with the dismissals. I am calling for him to be investigated for alleged corruption. Some of his aides have reportedly faced investigations; he should submit himself. Oppressors of yesterday cannot become heroes of today.”
Adeyanju urged anti-graft and security agencies to investigate any allegations of misconduct against the former governor while respecting his rights. He compared the scrutiny El-Rufai faces to that of other former officials, including ex-Attorney-General Abubakar Malami, asserting that “oppressors of yesterday cannot become heroes of today.”
As of filing, neither El-Rufai nor the Department of State Services (DSS) has officially confirmed the alleged passport seizure or any planned arrest.
