The Southern Kaduna Leadership Council (SKLC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to initiate a judicial investigation into the administration of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, accusing him of orchestrating policies that marginalized and undermined the region’s ethnic communities.
At a press briefing titled “Dispelling Lies and Hate Against a People”, SKLC Secretary Timothy B. Gandu dismissed recent claims by El-Rufai’s former aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, that Southern Kaduna chiefdoms willingly sought changes to their traditional identities. Gandu insisted these assertions were misleading and contradicted official state records.
According to the Council, El-Rufai’s government unilaterally imposed ethnic name changes through a 13-member committee set up in 2017, without proper consultation with the affected communities. Out of 25 chiefdoms impacted, 17 officially rejected the changes, while seven stated no such requests were made.
The Council further accused El-Rufai of:
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Deepening religious and ethnic divisions;
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Creating new emirates in multi-ethnic communities under the guise of reform;
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Arbitrarily reducing districts from 390 to 77, thereby weakening local leadership;
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Removing and demoting traditional rulers;
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Suppressing dissent and targeting Southern Kaduna youths;
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Overseeing the closure of local tertiary institutions;
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Failing to establish IDP camps despite widespread violence and displacement;
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Illegally expanding the Kachia Grazing Reserve without community consent;
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Allegedly ordering arrests and dethronement of key community leaders.
The Council also referenced a viral video in which El-Rufai reportedly admitted to misleading Southern Kaduna APC members and pushing for a religiously skewed political structure since 2019.
Calling these actions a calculated attempt to reduce Southern Kaduna’s political influence, the SKLC urged the Federal Government to:
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Ban El-Rufai from future public office for alleged constitutional violations;
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Direct security agencies to probe reported state-sponsored violence and human rights abuses;
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Investigate possible crimes against humanity during his tenure.
Additionally, the group appealed to current Governor Uba Sani to repeal the controversial 2021 Traditional Institution Law, reinstate traditional rulers, and adopt inclusive policies aimed at reconciliation and regional development.
