Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has accused former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai of using government power against people who protested after the killing of a traditional ruler.
Speaking during an interview from 1:44:13 on SYMFONI TV, Lawal said the incident happened after a first-class chief from Kofana, near Kaduna, attended a security meeting at the Government House.
According to him, the chief was attacked on his way home by armed men believed to be bandits. Lawal said the attackers killed the chief’s driver and security aide before taking the traditional ruler into the bush, where he was later killed.
Lawal claimed that instead of showing sympathy to the grieving community, El-Rufai ordered the arrest of community leaders after residents protested over the chief’s death.
He said some of those arrested were members of his church and were detained without trial. Lawal added that efforts to secure their release through the courts were unsuccessful because no judge granted them bail.
According to him, the detained community leaders remained in custody for about four to five years before they were eventually released. He alleged that many of them came out physically and emotionally broken and later died.
Lawal said El-Rufai had a history of using political power to deal with opponents. However, he argued that even if the former governor acted wrongly in the past, it would also be wrong for any government to treat him the same way now.
In his words, “When the community started protesting, he ordered the leaders of the community; he arrested all of them. Some of them were my church members, locked them up without trial.”