Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has cautioned the federal government against any attempt to arrest his father, describing it as a grave mistake.
Taking to social media platform X, Bashir issued a strong warning, a move that has since sparked reactions.
His post also appeared to take a swipe at President Bola Tinubu, as he referred to an unnamed individual as “Pablo Escobar,” a name associated with the infamous Colombian drug lord.
His remarks come amid growing speculation that the federal government, through the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, may be planning to detain Nasir El-Rufai.
The former governor, once a close ally of President Tinubu, has had a strained relationship with the current administration since his ministerial nomination was rejected by the Senate. Reports suggest that his increasing criticism of the government has made him a target for possible political retaliation.
Reacting to the situation, Bashir posted on X: “Na the biggest mistake Pablo Escobar & his henchmen will make.”
Although he did not explicitly mention President Tinubu, many social media users interpreted his statement as a direct attack on the president, linking it to past allegations regarding Tinubu’s involvement in a U.S. narcotics case.
In the 1990s, Tinubu was implicated in a drug-related case in the United States, which resulted in the forfeiture of $460,000 to U.S. authorities.
Despite this, he has consistently maintained that he was never convicted of any crime, though political opponents continue to use the case against him.