Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of acting politically after what he described as a failed attempt to arrest former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai at an airport on his return to Nigeria.
Atiku, a former presidential candidate and a leading opposition figure in Nigeria, made the allegation in a statement posted on X, the social media platform, on Friday, February 13, 2026. He said he later visited El-Rufai in private to show support following the incident.
“Last night, I paid a solidarity visit to the former Governor of Kaduna State and stalwart of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, following the failed attempt by the partisan ICPC to arrest him at the airport upon his arrival in the country,” Atiku wrote.
Atiku also shared photographs of what appeared to be a closed-door meeting with El-Rufai at a private residence.
Okay News reports that the allegation adds to widening political tension around El-Rufai, a prominent politician from Kaduna State in northern Nigeria who has recently intensified his engagement with opposition politics and has publicly criticised the federal government of Nigeria.
The ICPC, which is one of Nigeria’s main anti-corruption agencies, had not issued a public response to Atiku’s claim as of 10:24 a.m. West African Time (WAT, GMT+1) on Friday, February 13, 2026.
The development also follows claims by El-Rufai’s aides that security operatives tried to stop him at the airport shortly after his return on Thursday, February 12, 2026. They said the officials did not present an arrest warrant, leading to a confrontation before he was eventually allowed to leave the terminal.
No Nigerian security agency has publicly confirmed the incident, and the ICPC has also not officially confirmed any move against El-Rufai.
El-Rufai has recently been linked with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), an opposition political party listed by Nigeria’s election management body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, with national officers and contact details on its official register.
