Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasiru El-Rufai
By AMOS MATHEW, Kaduna –
The former Governor of Kaduna State Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has been accused of fueling political instability and ethno-regional violence, while calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order his immediate arrest and prosecution.
The accusation was made known by the Youth Wing of Middle Belt Forum (MBF) by the National Youth Leader of the Forum, Comrade Nasir Jagaba at a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Kaduna.
Comrade Jagaba, alleged that El-Rufai has consistently undermined national unity through what he described as “calculated incitement, selective outrage, and terror-inspired ambition.”
While speaking on behalf of the youth and people of the Middle Belt, Jagaba said recent comments credited to El-Rufai at a public event where he described Nigeria as being overrun by “urban bandits” and claimed the country was facing its worst crisis since 1914 were not only misleading but dangerous.
He said that the former governor’s remarks were reminiscent of his past utterances that had deepened ethnic divisions and emboldened criminality.
“El-Rufai’s history is tainted with appeasement of killers and betrayal of the people. He once admitted to paying off bandits with public funds. That admission alone disqualifies him from any moral ground to speak on national security,” Jagaba stated.
The youth leader also accused El-Rufai of hypocrisy over his criticism of ongoing infrastructure projects, particularly the soon-to-be-commissioned 300-bed hospital in Kaduna’s Millennium City.
According to them, El-Rufai’s attacks on the project stem from personal bitterness, having failed to complete it during his tenure. “The credit belongs to Governor Uba Sani, not to El-Rufai who abandoned the project,” he said.
The Forum commended President Tinubu for what it termed “visible and impactful interventions” in the North and the Middle Belt, noting progress in road construction, agricultural support through dam rehabilitations, healthcare upgrades, educational investments, and security deployments.
Jagaba said such interventions had led to a marked reduction in rural banditry and the return of displaced farmers in Southern Kaduna.
He warned that the Middle Belt was tired of being used as political cannon fodder, and that the region would no longer remain silent while lives are lost and communities destroyed under political pretexts.
“We remember the Fulani militias that ravaged our villages, raped our women, slaughtered our children and burned our farms. These horrors happened under the watch of people like El-Rufai,” Jagaba said, visibly emotional.
He further claimed that violence in Plateau, Benue, and parts of Nasarawa, Niger, and Taraba states bore political fingerprints, adding that the recent escalation of killings followed an ominous tweet by Bello El-Rufai, son of the former governor, which allegedly foreshadowed renewed bloodshed in Southern Kaduna.
“This is not just about politics anymore; it is about justice and the sanctity of life. El-Rufai is not one of us. He does not speak for the Middle Belt. He is an enemy of our survival,” he declared.
The group urged President Tinubu to decisively confront what it described as “a silent network of terror entrepreneurs,” insisting that failure to prosecute individuals like El-Rufai would amount to emboldening future violence. Jagaba said the Middle Belt Youths would not sit idly by while “blood is turned into political capital.”
“We urge the President not to allow his administration to be blackmailed or distracted by those who profit from chaos. We must choose peace over propaganda, unity over ambition,” he concluded.
The forum’s outburst comes amid heightened political undercurrents in the North, as permutations for 2027 begin to take shape.
