—— Says Nigeria cannot claim to be a true democracy when arrests are attempted without clear legal backing

A Renowned Academic, Public Affairs Analyst and Welfare Officer, Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria, Enugu State Chapter, Prof. Chiwuike Uba, made this known while speaking on a topic “State of the Nation,” on Freedom Square, a programme on Solid FM, 100.9, anchored by Uchenna Cyril Anioke.

Uba described the move as a “dangerous abuse of state power” that undermines constitutional governance and public confidence in security institutions.

According to reports, security operatives had moved to detain El-Rufai shortly after his arrival at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, but the attempt failed after legal objections and public attention forced a withdrawal.

Uba noted that arrests carried out without proper warrants or legal backing reflect a growing disregard for due process.

“No individual, no matter how powerful, should be targeted outside the boundaries of the law,” he said. “But even more dangerous is when authorities themselves ignore legal procedures. That is how democracies weaken.”

According to him, “ when we talk about the rule of law and the law fully, it does not appear to me that our nation know the law fully. If it were to be a smaller person, he would have been abducted because that arrest as he rightly said was without invitation or warrant of arrest. He understood his right not because of the personality he is but the people were also behind him. As a nation, we need to do things better, even if it was to be an emergency. You recalled that he said he would have joined Peter Obi at the protest but because he was at Egypt, that was why he couldn’t join but that he will soon come back. So I am sure they have his email, his records, if they wanted him, they could have written him and say we need you in the office.”

He warned that selective enforcement of laws fuels political tension and sets a bad precedent for younger generations, stressing that democracy can only thrive where justice is transparent and lawful.

Civil society groups and legal practitioners have joined the conversation, calling for clarity on the incident and warning against the politicisation of law enforcement.

Uba urged Nigeria to urgently recommit itself to the rule of law following the controversial and unsuccessful attempt to arrest former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai at an airport.