Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has criticized former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for voluntarily submitting to security authorities before his court appearance, describing the move as a major error.
In an interview aired on Trust TV via YouTube on Tuesday, Dalung claimed that authorities had earlier tried, unsuccessfully, to apprehend El-Rufai at an airport. He suggested the government was wary of the former governor and feared that a forceful arrest could provoke unrest.
Dalung argued that El-Rufai’s decision to turn himself in weakened his position. According to him, individuals involved in political struggles typically avoid surrendering, as doing so may expose them to undue humiliation and reduce their leverage.
However, he later offered a more balanced perspective, noting that El-Rufai’s compliance might have unintentionally worked in his favor. Dalung said that by presenting himself early, the former governor may have limited the authorities’ ability to properly prepare charges against him.
He further alleged that although El-Rufai was taken into custody, there was initially no solid case against him, forcing investigators to search for possible offenses afterward. Dalung concluded that the case may ultimately fail, claiming it lacks a lawful foundation.
El-Rufai was re-arrested on February 18 by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) shortly after being released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which had detained him for two days over alleged corruption.
On Tuesday, he appeared in court facing accusations related to inflated severance payments and long-term foreign currency deposits. The allegations include claims of overstated severance packages amounting to ₦579.7 million, as well as suspicious deposits totaling $817,900 into his domiciliary account over several years.
