Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has condemned what he described as an unlawful attempt by security operatives to arrest him on Thursday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt.
In a post on his verified X handle, El-Rufai accused the authorities of executive overreach and deliberate disregard for the rule of law.
“My lawyers have issued a statement that condemns the illegal attempt to arrest me today at the Abuja airport upon my arrival from Cairo,” he wrote. “Our country must outgrow executive overreach and deliberate disregard for the rule of law.”
According to his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, operatives approached the former governor shortly after he landed and attempted to take him into custody without presenting a formal invitation or warrant. El-Rufai declined to follow them without due process.
Adekeye further alleged that the security personnel seized El-Rufai’s international passport from an aide before withdrawing.
No official statement has been issued by security agencies clarifying the circumstances or confirming whether El-Rufai is under investigation.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
