Vanguard (Lagos)

Nigeria: SSS Quiz Mallam El-Rufai At Lagos Airport

Photo: This Day
Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai was Wednesday quizzed for questioning at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos by the State Security Services officers attached to the airport.

The Former Minister who was scheduled to travel to Dubai with Emirates Airlines was apprehended by the SSS and questioned for hours.

Vanguard gathered that his travel documents like the international passport and air ticket were seized from him by the SSS officers on duty.

A source who confided in Vanguard said that el-Rufai was approached at the check-in area of the airport and was politely told that he could not travel on that day, he however insisted that he had an important meeting in Dubai to attend to.

However after he was delayed for over an hour during questioning, his travel documents were later released to him to continue his journey to the United Arab Emirates.

The reason for his delay could not be ascertain as at press time but an SSS source contacted noted that the delay and eventual quiz of el-Rufai may not be unconnected with his ardent criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan administration in recent time, affirming that he had been on the watch list of the government for some time now.

When Vanguard got to to the SSS office at MMIA, one of the officers who declined to reveal his identity could not confirm or deny the quizzing of el-Rufai by his officers and directed our correspondent to speak with the SSS spokesperson, Marylyn Ogar in Abuja.

Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the SSS in Abuja proved abortive as at the time of writing this report.

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Nigeria: El-Rufai Briefly 'Detained' at Airport

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Former minister Nasir el-Rufai was briefly detained by security men at the Lagos airport while boarding an Emirates flight to Dubai. Read more »