Bashir El-Rufai, the son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has sparked controversy by daring President Bola Tinubu to arrest his father and likening the president to infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar.
On Tuesday, El-Rufai, who fell out with Tinubu since he was nominated for ministerial appointment but was blocked by the Senate, alleged that National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu was plotting to arrest him.
He said he would remain in the country to lead the fight for good governance.
“I have been hearing these same rumours of arrest, detention and torture in some dungeon in the NSA’s office (where Emefiele was allegedly tortured to resign as CBN governor) since July 2024 when the so-called report of the Kaduna Assembly began circulating,” Mr El-Rufai said on X.
Reacting to these reports, Bashir El-Rufai took to X to issue a warning, saying, “Na the biggest mistake Pablo Escobar & his henchmen will make.”
Although he did not mention President Tinubu by name, many social media users interpreted the statement as a direct attack on the president, given the long-standing controversy surrounding Tinubu’s past involvement in a U.S. narcotics case.
In the 1990s, Tinubu was linked to a drug-related case in the United States, which led to the forfeiture of $460,000 to U.S. authorities. His political opponents have often used this case against him, despite his insistence that he was never convicted of any crime.
An X user, @Amaogudu, tweeted: For context: Pablo Escobar is one of history’s most prolific drug traffickers. His drug empire popularized Colombia as a drug trafficking hub.
“It is reported that President Bola Tinubu was indicted by US DEA in a drug smuggling case which made him (Tinubu) forfeit more than 400,000 USD (about 500 million naira) to the United States government.”
Some shared screenshots and videos of El-Rufai and his son campaigning and canvassing support for Tinubu in 2023.
“See Bashir’s father and ‘Pablo Escobar’ when the going was good. Is like the proper fight is about to commence,” @David_shuaibu tweeted, posting a photo of Tinubu and El-Rufai in a car.
An X user, @kecemenikex, said, “So you know Pablo Escobar is a drug dealing imbecile, yet you supported him,” while @ubongutioh said, “So, your father knew and was deliberately snorting from Pablo Escobar? What a stain on your family’s integrity if there was even one before.”
Another X user, @TrulyDearest, said, “You and your daddy knew all along that he is ‘Pablo Escobar’? But your daddy went to Chatham House in London to protect him from exposing his emptiness to the World.
“Your father answered questions on how he will solve insecurity issues for him, and now they used and threw him away. You and him are wailing.”
“Now, he is ‘Pablo Escobar’ because your dad is out of his good graces,” another X user, @I_am_Ibadan, said.
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