Dare Babalola
The Kaduna State Government has issued a strong warning to former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, accusing him of plotting to incite violence and destabilize the state for political gains.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Suleiman Shuaibu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on Tuesday.
The government accused the former governor of aiming to reverse the progress made under Governor Uba Sani’s administration.
The statement further claimed that El-Rufai’s recent statements and actions are designed to exploit old wounds and peddle dangerous lies to incite violence and discord.
The state government warned that its leadership will not fold its arms and allow a “discredited former leader”, who left the state in ruins, to ignite chaos and plunge the state into another era of ethno-religious tension, insecurity, and economic stagnation.
“Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has made it glaringly obvious that he can not stomach the progress Kaduna is making under the administration of Governor Uba Sani. In just two years, Kaduna has transitioned from a state on the brink of collapse, to a growing beacon of hope, unity, and development,” the statement said.
In response, El-Rufai has doubled down on his accusations, stating that the government is incompetent in handling security issues and is instead paying bandits to maintain a façade of peace.
The former governor in a post made on social media denied the allegations and instead accused the state government and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) of “greasing the palms of non-state actors” in Kaduna and other states.
He also accused the Kaduna state government of disrupting a meeting by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and attempting to muzzle opposition voices.
“As usual, the combined voices of the Government of Kaduna State (KDSG) and ONSA, instead of responding to the core issues I raised, seek to deflect responsibility by alleging that exposing them amounts to politicising security,” he said.
“We are not the first to reveal the government’s ongoing greasing of the palms of non-state actors in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, Kebbi, and other states. No matter how incompetent in security matters he may be, the National Security Adviser cannot be oblivious of videos and audios of traditional rulers, community leaders and religious leaders condemning the payments made by the state to bandits.
“The attempt at denial falls flat as many citizens in the affected states have been following the counter-replies by community leaders and clerics on the issue of government paying bandits,” he added.
