DSS detains security officers over alleged bribery during El-Rufai’s airport arrival
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Department of State Services (DSS) has detained five security personnel who attended to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on February 12, 2026.
The officers, drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the DSS, the Nigeria Immigration Service and Aviation Security, are accused of accepting bribes to grant the former governor access to restricted security zones at the airport.
The DSS described the act as an obstruction of security operations carried out in an “unprecedented manner.”
The officers include Ayuba Yakubu, an assistant superintendent of police; Mutala Inuwa, a DSS operative; Najeeb Murtala, an assistant superintendent of immigration; and Musa Adamu and Salihu Victor, both officials of Aviation Security (AVSEC).
A statement released on Tuesday by DSS said: “At the end of a joint investigation by the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Federal Ministry of Aviation, five officers have been detained.
They are Ayuba Yakubu, Murtala Inuwa, Najeeb Murtala, Musa Adamu and Salihu Victor.
“They have all confessed to receiving bribes to facilitate unauthorised entry into restricted areas, to obstruct lawful security operations in an unprecedented manner.
“They have been handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for prosecution.”
The statement added that additional personnel from the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigeria Customs Service who were not involved in bribery but misused their official positions to allow unauthorised access would face internal disciplinary measures.
 has detained five security personnel who attended to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on February 12, 2026.){kind=link}