Nasir El-Rufai says he will honor an invitation from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on Feb. 18, 2026.
In a post Friday on his verified X account, the former Kaduna state governor said he would appear at the commission’s office as scheduled, a day after he alleged an attempted arrest at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
“Yesterday, after the futile attempt to abduct me, the ICPC delivered a letter to invite me to their office,” El-Rufai wrote. “My lawyer has written to confirm that I will be attending the ICPC office on Wednesday, 18 February 2026.”
The development follows a Thursday incident at the Abuja airport, where security operatives reportedly attempted to arrest El-Rufai upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt.
His media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, alleged that security agents tried to detain him without presenting a formal invitation and seized his international passport during the encounter.
El-Rufai’s lawyer, Ubong Akpan, condemned the attempted arrest as unlawful, saying his client was willing to cooperate with lawful processes but that due process must be followed.
Akpan described the airport incident as a violation of constitutional rights and procedural norms. He added that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had earlier invited El-Rufai while he was abroad and that his legal team had communicated his willingness to comply upon his return.
“The invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was delivered to Malam El-Rufai’s residence while he was already abroad,” Akpan said in a statement Thursday. “We explicitly notified the EFCC that he would voluntarily appear at their office by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026.”
