Immediate-past Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has alleged that there were plans to arrest, detain, and torture him in a facility under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
El-Rufai made the claim on Tuesday in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, stating that he had been hearing such rumours since July 2024, when the Kaduna State House of Assembly released a report indicting him for fraud.
The former governor’s remarks came amid an ongoing feud between his camp and that of the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, following a viral video in which a political activist, Naja’atu Muhammad, alleged that Ribadu had once described President Bola Tinubu as corrupt during his tenure as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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In response to the claim, Ribadu, through his lawyer, Dr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), issued a letter denying the allegations. He insisted that he never made such statements against Tinubu, either publicly or privately, and described the viral video as “unquantifiable” in the damage it had caused. The NSA also demanded a public apology and retraction from the female activist.
However, El-Rufai fired back, accusing Ribadu of “serious amnesia” and insisting that records from the Nigerian Senate’s proceedings in 2006 and a newspaper report from February 2007 confirmed that Ribadu indeed made the statements about Tinubu.
“Nuhu must have serious amnesia. The record of proceedings in the Senate will confirm that Nuhu made those statements sometime in 2006. A Daily Trust report from February 2007 reconfirms the essence of the statements,” El-Rufai posted.
He also referenced conclusions from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in 2006, suggesting they contained further evidence of Ribadu’s allegations against Tinubu and others.
However, while responding to concerns raised by one of his supporters, Hon. Imran U. Wakili, on Tuesday, El-Rufai revealed that he has been receiving intimidation and threats from political forces who want him to flee Nigeria. However, he vowed to remain in the country despite the pressure.
“I have been hearing these same rumours of arrest, detention, and torture in some dungeon in the NSA’s office (where Godwin Emefiele was allegedly tortured to resign as CBN governor) since July 2024, when the so-called report of the Kaduna Assembly began circulating,” he wrote.
El-Rufai further claimed that his legal challenge against the report has unsettled certain individuals, leading to attempts to compromise the judicial process.
“They have sent similar messages of intimidation and threats through many of my friends, family, and political associates because they want me to go on self-imposed exile. I will not,” he declared.
He also announced that he had put his academic and language-learning plans on hold to spend more time in Nigeria, emphasising that “silence is no longer golden” and that he will no longer stay quiet on national issues.
“The arrest, detention, and torture of perceived political enemies are nothing new in human affairs. I have been arrested and detained three times in the past for expressing my views on previous governments,” he noted.
El-Rufai further stated that he remained unfazed by any potential arrest, adding that “there is always a morning after the arrest, detention, or torture, and political life continues.”
Addressing those he claimed are uncomfortable with his presence in Nigeria, El-Rufai announced his intention to return to the country in time for the launch of former President Ibrahim Babangida’s memoirs, scheduled for February 20, 2025.
“For the attention of the pathetic characters who don’t sleep well whenever I am in Nigeria, take notice that I intend to return in time for the launch of President IBB’s memoirs, in sha Allah, scheduled for February 20,” he wrote.
He concluded his statement with a note of defiance, saying, “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.”