Police abducted my ex-commissioner after he left APC for SDP, el-Rufai alleges

Nasir el-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna, says security operatives have arrested Jafaru Sani, the education commissioner under his administration.

El-Rufai was the governor of Kaduna from 29 May 2015 to 29 May 2023.

In a post published via X on Thursday, El-Rufai alleged that the ex-commissioner was abducted by a group he described as a “police kidnapping gang” linked to Uba Sani, the governor of Kaduna.

The former governor claimed that Jafaru was “remanded in prison custody by a magistrate without any police first information report or charges by the state ministry of justice”.

“Our colleague and versatile former commissioner during the El-Rufai Administration, Mallam Jafaru Sani, has been abducted in Kaduna by Uba Sani’s kidnapping gang claiming to be the police this afternoon,” the post reads.

“Jafaru was remanded in prison custody by a magistrate without any police first information report or charges by the State Ministry of Justice.

“On inquiry, we have learned that Jafaru is being charged with money laundering—a federal offense that neither the State Judiciary nor even the Police have jurisdiction to adjudicate or investigate.

“Jafaru’s real crime is his resignation from the APC and joining the SDP—and having been proposed by me as the replacement ministerial nominee representing Kaduna State in August 2023.

“The tactics are similar to those used against another colleague of ours – Bashir Saidu when he was abducted on the 31st of December 2024 and kept in captivity for 50 days before he was released on bail!

“The ignominious role of some henpecked and compromised magistrates and high court judges in the Kaduna State judiciary remains a source of great concern to us.

“We are watching and waiting as no condition is permanent, and there will be accountability for all decisions and actions, one day, soon.”

Mansir Hassan, the police spokesperson in Kaduna, was not immediately available for comments when contacted by TheCable.

On March 10, El-Rufai announced his resignation from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Before leaving the APC, the relationship between El-Rufai and his successor, Uba Sani, had gone sour.

The former Kaduna governor supported Sani’s governorship ambition in the build-up to the 2023 elections. However, the duo fell out months after Sani assumed office.

Sani had accused the el-Rufai administration of leaving a huge debt and liabilities, which he said hindered governance in Kaduna.

Subsequently, the Kaduna house of assembly commenced a probe of the former governor over the allegation of public funds diversion and money laundering.

El-Rufai has also criticised Sani’s administration, recently accusing him of being a sycophant to President Bola Tinubu.

The ex-Kaduna governor had said Sani’s support for the president was because of the N150 billion reimbursements to Kaduna by the federal government in the past 18 months.