A former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has blamed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu for the airport melodrama on Thursday.
The former governor alleged that Ribadu was directly involved in a directive that came to light through a tapped phone.
Speaking on Arise News Channel on Friday evening, El-Rufai claimed his associates intercepted communications linking Ribadu to a plan targeting him.
“Ribadu made the call because we listened to their calls. The government thinks that they’re the only ones that listen to calls. But we also have our ways. He made the call. He gave the order that they should arrest me,” El-Rufai said.
Acknowledging the legality of such interceptions, he added, “Because that technically is illegal. I know, but the government does it all the time. They listen to our calls all the time without a court order. But someone tapped his phone and told us that he gave the order.”
El-Rufai also accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission of using the Department of State Services as a personal tool of Ribadu.
“Subsequently, we found out that it was the ICPC that procured the DSS… and this is a modus operandi of the ICPC that increasingly has become a personal tool of Nuhu Ribadu. Nuhu made the call and made the order,” he said.
While criticising the ICPC, El-Rufai commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for professionalism, saying he would honour its invitation.
“But the EFCC, I think, has shown itself to be more professional in this particular instance. And on Monday, by the grace of God, I’ll go and see them,” he said.
During the interview, El-Rufai was also asked about the disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, a social media commentator who was abducted from his Kaduna residence in 2019 and has not been seen since.
The former governor denied any involvement in the incident and rejected suggestions that his administration played a role in the activist’s disappearance.
According to him, Dadiyata was primarily a critic of political actors in Kano State rather than Kaduna.
“Dadiyata lives in Kaduna; he was not a critic of Kaduna State. We barely knew he resided in Kaduna until his abduction was reported. He was a critic of the Kano government at the time,” he said, suggesting that questions should instead be directed at political figures in Kano.
