A coalition of survivors and victims’ families has issued a blistering public statement demanding a full, independent investigation into alleged human rights abuses during the eight-year tenure of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Speaking from Abuja and Kaduna on Monday, the Kaduna Victims’ Coalition said communities across the state endured “profound hardship, terror, fear and loss” between 2015 and 2023, and warned against what it described as attempts to “rewrite history” by portraying the former governor as a defender of due process.
“Our sole demand is accountability under the rule of law: thorough, independent investigations; prosecutions where evidence warrants; and closure for traumatised victims and families,” the coalition said.
Symbolic Cases: Agwam Adara and Dadiyata
Among the cases highlighted is the 2018 abduction and killing of His Royal Highness Dr. Maiwada Raphael Galadima, the Agwam Adara. The monarch was kidnapped in October 2018 and later murdered despite ransom payments. His death came amid controversial reforms that restructured traditional institutions in Southern Kaduna.
The coalition said suspects arrested in connection with the killing have yet to be successfully prosecuted and that their current status remains unclear.
The statement also revisited the disappearance of Abubakar Idris, widely known as Dadiyata, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma who was abducted from his Kaduna residence on August 2, 2019.
Nearly seven years later, his whereabouts remain unknown.
The coalition noted that August 2026 would mark the seventh anniversary of his disappearance — a timeline that, under Nigerian law, may trigger a statutory presumption of death.
It also referenced a controversial social media post by Bashir El-Rufai, son of the former governor, made shortly after Dadiyata’s abduction — a post widely interpreted at the time as dismissive of calls for his safe return.
Pattern of Alleged Abuses
Beyond high-profile cases, the coalition alleged a broader pattern of arbitrary arrests, persecution of critics, reprisal violence, unlawful demolitions, mass dismissals of civil servants and forced displacement.
“These acts bypassed constitutional safeguards and Nigerian law, turning gubernatorial immunity into unchecked impunity,” the statement said.
The coalition said its members include community and business leaders, traditional rulers, faith leaders, lawyers, journalists and civil society organisations — reflecting what it described as a cross-section of Kaduna society.
“We Will Cooperate Fully”
Signatories include prominent human rights advocate Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, lawyer Gloria Ballason, activist Audu Maikori, journalist Luka Binniyat and several civil society organisations.
They pledged to cooperate with law enforcement agencies, judicial bodies and human rights institutions by providing testimonies and evidence to support any investigations.
The statement comes amid heightened political and legal tensions surrounding El-Rufai, who has consistently denied allegations of wrongdoing and previously described various probes into his administration as politically motivated.
A Battle Over Memory and Justice
The coalition framed its intervention not merely as a political dispute, but as a moral obligation to speak for those “killed or disappeared who cannot speak.”
By invoking hashtags such as #JusticeForKadunaVictims and #WhereIsDadiyata, the group signalled that the campaign for accountability is far from over.
Whether the demands translate into formal investigations or prosecutions remains to be seen. But the message from survivors and families was unequivocal:
“No more impunity. No more silence.”
