Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has taken a swipe at former Kaduna State governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, following his claim that the Federal Government is planning to arrest him upon his return to Nigeria.
El-Rufai, in a two-page document titled “Confidential Briefing Memo” dated February 10, 2026, alleged that he and his associates have come under sustained pressure from security and anti-corruption agencies after he declined to serve in President Bola Tinubu’s administration and later resigned from the All Progressives Congress, APC.
According to the memo reportedly sighted by BusinessDay, El-Rufai claimed there were indications he could be subjected to what he described as politically motivated detention once he returns to the country.
He said several of his former aides and associates had been detained without due process. He listed affected persons to include a former Chief of Staff, a Senior Adviser, a commissioner and a company chief executive, alleging that they were held for prolonged periods and later charged on what he termed phantom allegations, with stringent bail conditions imposed.
The former governor also referenced a past probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, between 2010 and 2013 during the Yar’Adua/Jonathan administration, noting that he was discharged and acquitted over an abuse-of-office allegation linked to land approvals granted while he served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
He maintained that multiple investigations over the years had not produced any formal charges against him, while also accusing unnamed interests of sponsoring negative media reports to damage his reputation.
Reacting via his social media handle, Adeyanju mocked El-Rufai’s position, accusing the former governor of intolerance toward critics during his time in office.
“El-Rufai said they are planning to arrest him soon. El-Rufai arrested everyone who criticized him in Kaduna,” Adeyanju wrote.
He cited the case of Abubakar Dadiyata, a vocal critic of the former governor who was abducted in 2019 and has remained missing since then.
“His critic Dadiyata who was abducted in front of his wife and daughter disappeared till today without trace. The oppressors of yesterday are now comrades,” Adeyanju added.
El-Rufai has yet to respond to Adeyanju’s latest remarks as of press time.
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