The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested five security personnel for allegedly collecting bribes from former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai to facilitate his unauthorised passage and evasion of security checks upon his return to Nigeria at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, a few weeks ago.
A joint investigation involving the DSS, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Federal Ministry of Aviation identified the following officers as suspects:
Ayuba YAKUBU (ASP) of the Nigeria Police Force; Murtala Inuwa of the Department of State Services (DSS); Najeeb MURTALA (ASI) of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS); Musa ADAMU of Aviation Security (AVSEC); and Salihu VICTOR of Aviation Security (AVSEC).
The DSS confirmed that the arrested officers have been handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for prosecution.
The service stated that the officers confessed to receiving bribes to enable unauthorised access into restricted airport zones and to deliberately obstruct lawful security procedures. The DSS described the incident as “a serious insider compromise of critical national infrastructure.”
Meanwhile, other personnel from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) — whose actions did not involve accepting bribes but included improper use of their uniforms to assist unauthorised access — will be subjected to administrative disciplinary measures rather than criminal proceedings.
The arrests follow widespread public attention on the circumstances surrounding El-Rufai’s arrival from overseas in mid-February 2026, which was marked by heavy security deployment and reports of unusual activity at the airport.
