Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has alleged plans by security operatives to arrest his elder brother, Bashir, to force a negotiation with him.
Bellnews reports that El-Rufai made this known in a viral video defending Bashir’s absence from their mother’s burial.
Recall that El-Rufai’s mother, Hajiya Umma El-Rufai, died in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday and was flown back to Abuja, where she was buried on Sunday.
Her death came at a time when El-Rufai was arrested and detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), following allegations of corruption and money laundering.
Speaking on his brother’s absence during the funeral, El-Rufai said Bashir had to miss their mother’s burial in a bid to evade arrest.
According to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, who spoke in Hausa Language, the plot was to arrest Bashir and get him to negotiate.
El-Rufai’s speech is transcribed as, “ My elder brother, our eldest, Bashir El-Rufai, could not come with us. He is in Cairo. Because he, too, if he had come, they would have arrested him. If he gets arrested, I will have to negotiate.
‘That is why we asked him to stay back while I come. We thank everyone who came and for the support you gave us. It is at a time like this that we know those who truly love us and are worried about us. May Allah also provide you with good supporters, just as you have supported us.”
Meanwhile, El-Rufai has intensified pressure on the National Judicial Council, demanding swift action on his petition against a Federal High Court judge, Justice R.M. Aikawa, over allegations of bias and judicial misconduct.
In a second reminder letter dated March 9, 2026, and addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, El-Rufai expressed concern about what he described as the council’s prolonged silence regarding his complaint.
Justice Aikawa is currently presiding over a criminal case filed against El-Rufai by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The former governor was arraigned before the judge on Tuesday on a 10-count charge bordering on alleged corruption and financial misconduct, including money laundering, abuse of office, conversion of public property, and unlawful possession of public funds.
El-Rufai’s legal team had earlier expressed surprise that Justice Aikawa was assigned to the case despite an existing petition against him before the NJC.