Thugs storm ADC inauguration, El-Rufai warns of anarchy

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

Kaduna— The inauguration of the transition committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and opposition coalition parties in Kaduna State turned violent on Saturday after suspected thugs invaded the venue, attacking participants and vandalising property.

The event, which brought together members of an All Progressives Congress (APC) faction opposed to the state leadership alongside the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and ADC, descended into chaos when hoodlums armed with cutlasses, clubs and stones stormed the hall.

Despite the disruption, proceedings continued under a tense atmosphere.

Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who attended, described the incident as “a dangerous descent into lawlessness,” accusing security operatives of complicity.

“For those wounded or traumatised, I commiserate with you and pray that Almighty Allah restores your health,” El-Rufai told supporters after calm returned. He alleged that policemen deployed to the venue stood by while the violence unfolded.

“We booked and paid for this hall since the 11th. We don’t know why they sent policemen to stop us. But Nigeria is governed by rules and regulations—anytime your rights are trampled upon, you should not forgive, you should seek justice. That is why we returned here. When they saw us, the policemen fled because they knew what they were doing was unlawful,” he declared.

El-Rufai further accused the state government of deploying “vulnerable children of the poor, drugged and intoxicated” to cause mayhem, while sparing their own.

“Why didn’t the governor and his commissioners send their children? Instead, they use the children of the poor to do their dirty job,” he said.

Vowing that Kaduna would be “brought back to the right path,” El-Rufai urged supporters to document acts of political intimidation for “the day of reckoning.”

“In our eight years, we never stopped any politician from holding a gathering. We never used the police to disrupt opposition. We must unite and ensure that, come the next election, we remove them from top to bottom,” he charged.

But the Kaduna State Police Command blamed El-Rufai for the violence. In a statement by its spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, the Command said the former governor failed to notify security agencies of the meeting despite repeated warnings.

“The Command has commenced extensive investigation into the alleged political violence and shooting incidents involving political thugs at the meeting hosted by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai,” the statement read.

While assuring residents of safety, the police urged political actors to follow due process and avoid actions capable of breaching public peace.

Saturday’s disruption has heightened concerns over political violence in Kaduna State ahead of the 2027 general elections.

El-Rufai warned that if authorities fail to end “the introduction of thuggery into Kaduna politics,” the situation could spiral out of control.

“Nobody has a monopoly on violence or thugs. We will take decisive steps to ensure this never happens again,” he said.

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