No court issued warrant to arrest me, el-Rufai says

He said in an email to our reporter yesterday that the police were determined on arresting him even when they had no legal basis to do so. “Whether there is a valid warrant or not (and there is none — challenge him to produce the court-signed warrant), Yar’adua’s goons will arrest me anyway,” el-Rufai said […]

He said in an email to our reporter yesterday that the police were determined on arresting him even when they had no legal basis to do so.

“Whether there is a valid warrant or not (and there is none — challenge him to produce the court-signed warrant), Yar’adua’s goons will arrest me anyway,” el-Rufai said in a reaction to the claim by the police spokesman of having a court warrant against him.

Police force spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu had said on Thursday, “We have received from the court a warrant of arrest in respect of el-Rufai.”

Asked for his reaction to Ojukwu’s announcement, el-Rufai said, “Why not ask him which court gave the order to arrest me, when and on what charge? Did he not tell your paper a couple of days ago that there was no such signal and no court order? Now that the illegal signal issued on 5th of November has been published by the media, he has changed his story…….these people lie for a living instead of protecting our lives and property.”

The former minister said his plan to return to Nigeria on December 27 would not change in spite of the threats of arrest. “I am returning home no matter what…arrest or anything like that will not deter me…all my life I have confronted, big, hare-brained bullies… the guys running our nation now are no different,” he said.

El-Rufai, who had been studying in the United States, faces criminal charges, including the illegal re-allocation of lands to himself and his associates. He had denied any wrongdoing while serving as minister.