- Safiu Kehinde
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Police Service Commission over the attack on his supporters and members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) by suspected hoodlums at a political meeting he was billed to attend.
NPO Reported that the suspected hoodlums who were armed had on Saturday stormed the Conference Hall of NUT Endwell in Magadishu, Kaduna, shooting sporadically in the air while attacking attendees of the meeting.
Several individuals were visibly injured in the attack despite presence of police officers at the event which was later confirmed to be a transition meeting of the ADC and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The Kaduna State Police Command had in a statement issued after the incident blamed El-Rufai for the attack with preliminary investigation alleging that the hoodlums who carried out the mayhem were attached to the former governor of the state.
While El-Rufai had kept mum over the incident yesterday, the ex-Kaduna governor would open up on the attack while speaking on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics programme.
In reaction, El-Rufai labelled the police allegation against him as evidence of the collapse in Nigeria’s policing system as he questioned how he can invite thugs to disrupt an event organised by him.
He accused the police officers of providing cover for the hoodlums who he alleged to be sponsored by the Kaduna State Government.
“The police were there. I don’t know what they were investigating. They know what happened. They provided cover to the thugs to do what they did. Those thugs were government-sponsored. We know them. We know the police officers that were there.
“I had earlier this year or last year submitted a petition to the IGP on the conduct of some police officers in Kaduna that are being used by the state government to kidnap opposition figures and critics and I’m waiting for the outcome of that investigation.
“But this attempt by the police to issue a statement implying that we as a political party will invite thugs to invade and disrupt our event. It is a sure sign that our policing system has collapsed.” HE said.
While mourning the passing of former Inspector General Police, Solomon Arase, who died earlier today, El-Rufai disclosed that he will petition the current IGP and the Police Service Commission over the inaction of the officers present during the attack yesterday.
“That we no longer have thinking people like my former coursemate, Solomon Arase. We were classmates. May his soul rest in peace.
“We used to have policemen. Now we have shadows of the police. They were there and I’m submitting a petition to the IG and the Police Service Commission because this gets to the root of the failure of the policing system.
“When law enforcement agents are the ones that are used to facilitate and protect those that are engaged in violence, then we are on our way to total destruction of everything that we stand for in this country.” He said.
El-Rufai further talked down the Police claim of not being properly notified ahead of the event as he reiterated that the Kaduna state government was the one behind the attack.
“What is proper notification? Under which law? What section of the constitution? No one can abridge my right of association.
“No one can ask me to give any notice. I can give if I choose. It is not a legal constitutional requirement and people should stop overrating themselves just because they have the position today.
“I was governor of that state for eight years. Never at any time did I stop any opposition party from having meetings. This is an overreach. The government of Kaduna state is behind it.
“I will submit my evidence to the Police Service Commission and the Inspector General of Police.” He said.