Protesters demand arrest, prosecution of El-Rufai over N423bn indictment
Numerous protesters gathered outside the Kaduna Government House on Thursday, demanding the arrest and prosecution of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai over an indictment of N423 billion.
The protesters, part of the Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance, walked from the UTC bus stop along Sokoto Road to the main entrance of Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House in Kaduna, displaying placards with various messages.
Some of the messages on the placards read, “We will occupy all MDAs to chase out all indicted persons in the report,” “Stop servicing all loans that did not follow due process before they were obtained,” and “Jimi Lawal almost killed Kaduna State the way he killed a bank some years ago.”
According to reports, the Kaduna State House of Assembly recently established an ad hoc committee to investigate finances, loans, and contracts awarded during El-Rufai’s administration.
The committee’s report, submitted on Wednesday, implicated the former governor, alleging that many loans acquired between 2015 and 2023 were not utilised for their intended purposes.
The committee led by Henry Zacharia, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the House, recommended the prosecution of El-Rufai, and some other indicted members of his cabinet by security and anti-corruption agencies for abuse of office and money laundering while in office as well as plaguing Kaduna State into heavy debt.
The probe by the state Assembly was necessitated following the lamentation of the incumbent governor that El-Rufai left him a huge debt profile.
Sani, who spoke during a town hall meeting in Kaduna, said he inherited a lean treasury, adding that he could not pay workers’ salaries.
Sani said, “Despite the huge debt burden of N587m, N85bn, and N115bn contractual liabilities sadly inherited from the previous administration, we remain resolute in steering Kaduna State towards progress and sustainable development.
“We have conducted a thorough assessment of our situation and are sharpening our focus accordingly.”
The revelation by Sani had generated reactions from several quarters, including El-Rufai’s son, Bashir, who took to his social media handle and accused his father’s successor of shying away from his responsibility.”
The Leader of the protesters, Comrade Victor Duniya, while addressing newsmen shortly after arriving at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, called on the state governor to implement relevant sections of the House of Assembly ad-hoc committee report on El-Rufai and other indicted that fell under his purview.
He also called on the governor to officially forward the findings of the House Committee report to the EFCC and other relevant agencies to commence the process of recovering the N423 billion allegedly misappropriated by the immediate governor and others indicted.
He commended the governor for his non-interference in the probe and lauded the ad-hoc committee of the state assembly for a thorough job.