Suspected thugs on Saturday disrupted the inauguration of transition committee members of the coalition of opposition parties under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State. They attacked participants and vandalised property.
The coalition included members of an All Progressives Congress (APC) faction opposed to the state leadership, alongside the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Labour Party (LP), and the ADC.
Eyewitnesses said hoodlums armed with cutlasses, clubs, and stones stormed the venue and broke up proceedings. Despite the violence, organisers pressed ahead with the inauguration under tense conditions.
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who attended the event, condemned the attack, describing it as “a dangerous descent into lawlessness”. He accused police officers deployed to the scene of complicity, alleging that an Assistant Commissioner of Police and other senior officers “stood by and watched” as thugs unleashed mayhem.
“If the authorities do not end thuggery in Kaduna politics, God help us. Nobody has a monopoly on violence or thugs. We will take decisive steps to ensure this never repeats,” El-Rufai declared, vowing to escalate the matter to the Police Service Commission.
The Kaduna State Police Command, however, blamed El-Rufai for the incident. It accused him of failing to notify the police or other security agencies of the meeting, despite repeated warnings. Command spokesman DSP Mansir Hassan said an investigation had begun into the violence, stressing that anyone found culpable would face the law regardless of status.
He added that hotels and event centres hosting political meetings without prior notification would also be held responsible, in order to prevent gatherings from being hijacked by thugs.
Meanwhile, a group of concerned ADC members and coalition partners across Kaduna’s 23 local government areas distanced themselves from the inauguration, accusing El-Rufai of seeking to hijack the coalition for personal gain.
At a press conference, spokesperson Adamu Dattijo said: “Instead of promoting collective leadership and coalition building, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has chosen the path of arrogance and imposition. He runs a one-man show, sidelining the authentic ADC leadership and grassroots structures. This is not only disrespectful but also destructive.”