The Department of State Services has arrested five security operatives over allegations of bribery to obstruct arrest in the incident involving former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in Nigeria from Egypt on February 12, 2026.
The security operatives were arrested following an investigation by the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the Federal Ministry of Aviation.
The names of the arrested security operatives are Ayuba Yakubu (police), Murtala Inuwa (DSS), Najeeb Murtala (NIS), Musa Adamu (aviation security), and Salihu Victor (aviation security).
The operatives reportedly confessed to receiving bribes to facilitate unauthorized entry into restricted areas to obstruct lawful security operations.
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The officers have been handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for prosecution.
Officers from the NIS and NCS who did not receive bribes but allegedly abused their uniforms to “facilitate unauthorised access” are expected to face administrative action.
Recall that on February 12, there was a mild drama at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, when security operatives attempted to arrest el-Rufai when he returned to the country from Cairo, the capital of Egypt.
Muyiwa Adekeye, media aide to the former governor, alleged that operatives approached el-Rufai shortly after he disembarked from his flight, but he declined to accompany them in the absence of a formal invitation.
Adekeye claimed that the security operatives snatched el-Rufai’s passport from the hand of an aide.
Speaking during an interview 24 hours after the incident, the former Kaduna governor said it was the ICPC that asked DSS operatives to arrest him upon his arrival in the country.
El-Rufai is currently in the custody of the ICPC after he was detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when he honoured their invitation.
The commission is investigating el-Rufai over alleged financial improprieties during his stint as governor of Kaduna between 2015 and 2023.
On February 19, ICPC searched the Abuja residence of el-Rufai.
The former Kaduna governor has sued the commission over the invasion of his residence.
The search of El-Rufai’s residence by ICPC has stirred controversy over the claim that the commission allegedly recovered wiretapping equipment — an allegation that was rejected by the former governor’s family.
In February, el-Rufai alleged that someone tapped the phone of Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA), enabling him to listen to a conversation in which he claimed the NSA ordered his arrest.
The former governor acknowledged that such action was illegal but alleged that government agencies sometimes engaged in similar practices without court orders.