Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has claimed he is aware of alleged plans for his arrest and torture at the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
His statement comes amid an ongoing dispute between him and the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, following a viral TikTok video in which a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Naja’atu Muhammad, alleged that Ribadu once accused President Bola Tinubu of corruption during his tenure as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ribadu, through his lawyer Dr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), strongly refuted the claim, stating that he had never made such statements publicly or privately. He demanded a public apology and retraction, calling the damage caused by the video “unquantifiable.”
However, El-Rufai fired back in a post on his X handle, accusing Ribadu of “serious amnesia” and insisting that records from the Senate in 2006, along with a Daily Trust report from February 2007, confirm that Ribadu had indeed made such allegations against Tinubu.
El-Rufai also referenced Federal Executive Council conclusions from 2006, claiming they contain further evidence of Ribadu’s past accusations against the president.
Responding to concerns from a supporter, Hon. Imran U. Wakili, El-Rufai disclosed that he has been hearing rumors of his impending arrest, detention, and torture at the NSA’s office since July 2024. He linked the alleged plot to a viral report by the Kaduna State House of Assembly that indicted him for fraud.
“They freaked out when we challenged the legality of the premeditated defamation and went to every length to compromise the judicial process,” El-Rufai stated, adding that intimidation tactics have been used to force him into self-imposed exile—an option he refuses to consider.
“I have now put all my previous academic and language-learning plans on hold and will spend more time in Nigeria than ever before. Silence is no longer golden. Inaction has never been an option,” he declared.
El-Rufai recounted past incidents where he had been arrested and detained three times for speaking against previous governments. “There is always a morning after the arrest, detention, or torture, and political life continues,” he added.
Addressing his critics, he announced his intention to return to Nigeria for the launch of former President Ibrahim Babangida’s memoirs on February 20.
“We depend on no one but Allah. We fear no mortal but Almighty Allah. We always hope for the best but plan for the worst,” he concluded.
