Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has said that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, a key figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made a “great mistake” by handing himself over to security agencies.
Dalung made the comment while suggesting that the Nigerian government is afraid of the former Kaduna State governor, a fear that, he said, led to his arrest and detention.
In an interview with Trust TV, Dalung said the authorities had initially tried to arrest El-Rufai at the airport but were unsuccessful.
He added: “The government is really afraid of El-Rufai, which is why they believed he might take some action, so they decided to arrest him.”
The former minister noted that the government knew that trying to forcibly catch El-Rufai could spark unrest.
“El-Rufai chose to minimize his role and give himself up, which was the biggest mistake he made as a fellow member.
“Comrades don’t surrender. If you give up during a fight, you will end up feeling ashamed. It’s an established principle in struggle. When they strive to achieve something, they become very careful,” he said.
