Former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on Monday, submitted a petition against the state’s Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Rabiu, over what he described as “unprofessional conduct, abuse of office, and serial violations”.
The petition was a fresh twist in the face-off between the leadership of the African Democratic Congress in Kaduna State and the state’s police command.
The Kaduna police had sealed the Kaduna ADC secretariat last Thursday and subsequently invited El-Rufai and other ADC leaders for questioning for alleged “conspiracy, incitement, mischief, and disturbance of public peace in the state”.
Previously, members of the Kaduna ADC had suffered attacks by political thugs, with the ADC accusing the police of backing the thugs.
Rather than honour the police invitation, El-Rufai, according to a statement on Monday by his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, dragged the police commissioner before the Police Service Commissioner.
El-Rufai, in the petition, alleged that the Commissioner of Police and some officers of the Kaduna Police Command had engaged in acts “unbecoming of their calling” since assuming office on December 30, 2024.
The former governor said he was compelled to alert the PSC after an earlier petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, failed to curb what he called the “egregiously unlawful” conduct of the officers.
“I am writing out of concern that the Nigeria Police, warts and all, is the only frontline law enforcement institution we have,” El-Rufai stated in a statement signed by his media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, in Kaduna on Monday.
“The duty of all citizens is not only to support it at every level but also to ensure that the commission is provided opportunities to deliver on its regulatory powers to enforce discipline and promote sound and ethical conduct by all police officers at all times,” he added.
El-Rufai, known for his fiery disposition, accused some police officers of “serving interests other than those conferred by law,” insisting that such behaviour tarnished the image of the force and eroded public confidence in its leadership.
“This laudable goal can only be attained if the commission’s attention is continuously drawn to any egregious conduct of some bad eggs that serve interests other than those conferred by law in Section 4 of the Police Act, 2020,” he said.
“Such conduct thereby negatively affects the image of the Police and undermines public confidence in its leadership.”
The former governor did not provide details of the alleged misconduct in the petition made available to the media, but sources close to him said it was linked to a series of police actions in the state in recent months that allegedly targeted some of his political associates.
The Kaduna State Police Command had yet to react officially to the petition as calls and messages sent to the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, were unanswered.
The PUNCH had reported that the Kaduna Police Command had, on Thursday, summoned El-Rufai and six top members of the ADC over alleged conspiracy, incitement, mischief, and disturbance of public peace in the state.
In a letter dated September 4, 2025, signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, DCP Uzairu Abdullahi, had said the ADC State Chairman was directed to produce the seven individuals before the State Criminal Investigation Department on September 8, 2025, to clarify allegations contained in a complaint filed by unidentified parties.
The individuals listed in the letter include: Mallam Nasir El-Rufai; Bashir Sa’idu; Jafaru Sani; Ubaidullah Mohammed (a.k.a. “30”); Nasiru Maikano; Aminu Abita, and Ahmed Rufa’i Hussaini (a.k.a. “Mikiya”)
The letter had stated: “This Department is currently investigating the above-mentioned case involving the following members of your party. You are requested to come along with them to SCID to clarify allegations reported against them by the complainants on 8th September, 2025.”
Earlier on the same day, security operatives from the Kaduna State Police Command sealed off the ADC’s state secretariat at No. 4 Ali Akilu Road, Kaduna, just hours before the anticipated visit from the ADC’s North-West leadership.
The visit had been scheduled as a commiseration mission following a violent incident in which party members were attacked by political thugs the previous week.
The PUNCH reports that at a press briefing held at his residence in Kaduna on September 4(Thursday), El-Rufai vehemently condemned the police’s actions as unconstitutional overreach.
He revealed that the meeting was intended for the ADC North-West leadership to express solidarity with members wounded in the violent attack last week.
However, he said, the police commissioner intervened, claiming—without providing documentation—that a court order barred the meeting.
El-Rufai stated, “He knows what he’s writing violates the Constitution. We have not seen the court order. It has not been properly served on us. Even if there is a court order, there is a legal process to serve an affected person, and it has not been served on us.”
Despite these grievances, he noted, ADC leaders chose to defer to the police to avoid confrontation: “As responsible leaders, we decided that even though we have not seen the order, we believe the commissioner of police. Because we don’t believe the commissioner of police could be lying.”
El-Rufai also signalled that the matter would not end with the shutdown, hinting at a protracted legal fight: “We want to see that order and, of course, we will challenge whatever grounds to the Supreme Court. This is not the end of it. Other things will follow after this,” he declared.
This sudden crackdown comes amid an already fraught political climate. Last week’s disrupted coalition meeting, where suspected thugs stormed the venue, injuring several attendees and causing extensive property damage, all in the presence of police officers who were accused of inaction.
Prior to this, the ADC in Kaduna State distanced the party from El-Rufai’s role in inaugurating the transition committee during the disputed event, arguing that the gathering lacked consultation and legitimacy. ADC officials described the act as fraudulent and destabilising.
Meanwhile, the State Government had maintained a firm stance against El-Rufai’s perceived provocations. In a statement dated September 1, the Commissioner for Internal Security, Dr. Shehu Shuaibu, accused the ex-governor of scheming to “destabilize our hard-won peace,” especially in light of the ADC’s setbacks in recent by-elections.
The statement had warned: “Anyone who dares to threaten it, be it Nasir El-Rufai or any of his accomplices, will be held accountable.”
