Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission of acting as a political tool after what he described as a failed attempt to arrest former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai at an airport.

Atiku made the allegation in a post on X, saying he visited El-Rufai at his residence in a show of solidarity following the incident. The former governor, now a prominent figure in the African Democratic Congress, had just returned to the country when security operatives reportedly moved to pick him up.

“Last night, I paid a solidarity visit to the former Governor of Kaduna State and stalwart of the African Democratic Congress, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, following the failed attempt by the partisan ICPC to arrest him at the airport upon his arrival in the country,” Atiku wrote.

Photographs shared by Atiku showed both men in a closed-door meeting at a private residence, underscoring the political weight of the encounter. The visit signals a rare public alignment between two influential northern politicians who have at various times been on different sides of Nigeria’s power struggles.

The ICPC has not issued any formal response to Atiku’s accusation or to reports of the attempted arrest. No security agency has publicly confirmed the operation, leaving the circumstances shrouded in uncertainty.

El-Rufai’s camp maintains that security operatives tried to intercept him without presenting a warrant, leading to a tense standoff before he was allowed to leave the terminal. The episode has fuelled speculation about a broader clampdown on outspoken political figures.

The controversy comes amid heightened political tension, following El-Rufai’s growing association with the African Democratic Congress and his increasingly sharp criticism of the Federal Government. In recent weeks, he has repeatedly warned of possible moves by state institutions to silence dissenting voices.

Atiku’s intervention elevates the matter beyond a routine security operation, framing it instead as a test of the neutrality of Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies. His description of the ICPC as “partisan” is likely to intensify debate over the use of law enforcement in the country’s fractious political arena.