A former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has confirmed that he will honour an invitation from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

El-Rufai disclosed this in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, a day after what he described as an attempted arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory stated that he would present himself at the commission’s office as scheduled.

“Yesterday, after the futile attempt to abduct me, the ICPC delivered a letter to invite me to their office.

“My lawyer has written to confirm that I will be attending the ICPC office on Wednesday, 18 February 2026,” he wrote.

The development follows controversy surrounding a Thursday incident at the Abuja airport, where security operatives reportedly attempted to arrest the former governor upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt.

El-Rufai’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, had alleged that security agents tried to detain him without presenting a formal invitation and seized his international passport during the encounter.

Also, his lawyer, Ubong Akpan, condemned the attempted arrest, describing it as unlawful.

He said his client was willing to cooperate with lawful processes but insisted that due process must be followed.

Akpan described the airport incident as a violation of constitutional rights and procedural norms.

He also disclosed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had earlier invited El-Rufai while he was abroad, and that the former governor’s team had communicated a 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.

“We explicitly notified the EFCC that he would voluntarily appear at their office by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026,” Akpan had said in a statement on Thursday. (PUNCH)

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