By Ibanga Isine
Prologue: In the first part of this report, we reported how the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, talked himself into trouble and how karma is serving him salaciously from the dishes of human rights violations he committed while in power. Malam El-Rufai did not hide his disdain for criticism and showed no kindness to journalists, activists, and citizens who disagreed with his policies, challenged his decisions, or called him out for failing to keep the promises he made. In fact, asking him to stop the killings in Southern Kaduna was treated almost like a coup attempt, and it was met with the full force of lawlessness. In this second and final part, we commiserate with him on the loss of his beloved mother and pray for the repose of her soul. But we must also remind him that, in the past, he kept his victims in custody even when they lost their loved ones, denying them the chance to give them a proper burial.
We shall continue presenting more cases of his human rights abuses that caused incalculable harm to individuals and communities, as he now enjoys the “freedom” granted to him by the ICPC. These reports raise serious questions and present a strong argument for a thorough investigation and, if necessary, prosecution for crimes against the people.
Let’s now turn to the facts…
Joseph Midat, former Bureau Chief of Leadership Newspaper in Kaduna
Joseph Midat, former Bureau Chief of Leadership Newspaper, was arrested by the police in 2017 over a comment he made on WhatsApp. The police acted on instructions from Malam El-Rufai and picked up Midat outside the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Kaduna. He was first taken to the Metropolitan Police Station, popularly known as “Metro,” where he spent the night before being transferred to the Kaduna State Police Command. Security operatives also searched his home in Sabon Tasha and examined messages on his mobile phone. Although no charges were eventually filed, the then Police Public Relations Officer, Aliyu Usman, confirmed that Midat was detained for supporting calls for a protest over the killings in Southern Kaduna. Midat himself is from the troubled region, where suspected Fulani herdsmen have killed and displaced thousands.
Luka Biniyat, former Bureau Chief of Vanguard Newspaper in Kaduna State.
Luka Biniyat, former Bureau Chief of Vanguard Newspaper in Kaduna State, has been a vocal critic of Malam El-Rufai over the killings in Southern Kaduna—and he has paid heavily for it. He has been arrested and detained multiple times, sometimes for months, for writing stories critical of the government. In 2021, after reporting on an attack at a government tertiary institution, he was arrested and held in police custody. In a private WhatsApp message to colleagues, he wrote:
“They brought me to Barnawa Chief Magistrate Court, Kaduna, and clamped me into a tiny, dingy, crammed jail with some hardened-looking criminals. I was smuggled here from Gabasawa Police Station after four days without trial and dehumanising conditions. I have yet to be taken before a judge. I fear my life is in danger. I just managed to get this phone.”
Mr. Biniyat lost his job and is still facing trial in two Kaduna courts, despite being granted bail under very strict conditions.
Stephen Kefas, a journalist and human rights activist
Stephen Kefas, a journalist and human rights activist, faced targeted harassment in Nigeria because of his reporting and criticism of Governor El-Rufai. After reposting a Sahara Reporters article on the Adara emirate feud that led to the death of the late Kajuru monarch Dr. Maiwada Galadima, he was arrested on May 8, 2019, and initially detained at Miniokoro Police Station. He was later transferred to Kaduna, where he appeared before a magistrate and was granted bail, allowing him to return to Port Harcourt and continue his work. Weeks later, he was summoned back to Kaduna and arrested again, allegedly for violating his bail conditions. Authorities conducted a forensic examination of his smartphone, which yielded no incriminating evidence, yet he was held in custody for five months without trial. Released on October 19, 2019, and facing ongoing threats, Kefas ultimately fled Nigeria and lived in exile for many years.
Awema Maisamari, President of the Adara Development Association (ADA)
Awema Maisamari, President of the Adara Development Association (ADA), ran afoul of Malam El-Rufai’s temper in December 2018 when the police arrested him for an alleged insult. The incident occurred during a town hall meeting in Kasuwan Magani, attended by the then-governor and local religious and community leaders, to discuss the killings of Christians in Kajuru Local Government Area. Maisamari, who at the time had not yet become ADA’s leader, attempted to speak at the meeting but was denied the opportunity. When he persisted, El-Rufai ordered his arrest. He was detained in Kaduna, accused of abusing the governor in a press statement issued earlier that month. Unlike others who suffered tragic consequences in the struggle, Maisamari was eventually released by his captors.
Truck drivers protesting the killing of a colleague along the Abuja/Kaduna Highway. Credit Kanydaily.com
Truck Drivers – On August 9, 2029, a policeman shot and killed a truck driver along the Abuja–Kaduna Highway after the driver refused to pay a bribe. In response, truck drivers blocked the highway, demanding that the police team responsible and the individual officer be produced. Rather than addressing the protesters’ concerns or calming the situation, Mallam El-Rufai reacted by posting on his verified Twitter handle, @elrufai, calling for the arrest and prosecution of the drivers for causing a traffic gridlock. In his tweet, he wrote, “It is most unfortunate. The drivers will be arrested and prosecuted for this. There are lawful means of expressing grievances. This is unacceptable!”
You can also read: INVESTIGATION: How El-Rufai Hunted Critics and Lessons Power Never Learns (Part I)
Chidi Odinkalu, a renowned human rights activist and former Chairman of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
Chidi Odinkalu, a renowned human rights activist and former Chairman of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission (NHRC), faced trial on charges of falsehood and incitement brought by Mallam El-Rufai. The dispute began in 2019 when El-Rufai initially claimed that 66 Fulani people had been killed in a village in Kajuru, later increasing the figure to 130, alleging they were buried in a mass grave, claims for which no evidence was provided. When Odinkalu, a professor of law, challenged the governor to substantiate the figures, El-Rufai said the criticism was irresponsible and proceeded to prosecute him. Despite widespread concern, including a statement on October 19, 2020, from 35 international civil rights organisations and 94 rights activists calling for the protection of free speech in Nigeria, Justice Peter Malong of the Kaduna Division of the Federal High Court ruled in El-Rufai’s favour on October 24, 2020, awarding costs against Odinkalu. The case is currently under appeal.
International Election Observers to Nigeria posing with the former INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.
International Election Observers to Nigeria – Following the suspension of Walter Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on January 25, 2019, Malam El-Rufai had accused the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States Embassy in Nigeria of alleged interference in Nigeria’s political affairs. The embassies had insisted that the former CJN’s suspension occurred just days before the general elections and called on all parties to respect the rule of law. In response, Mallam El-Rufai issued a stark warning to foreign election observers, rejecting any outside involvement in Nigeria’s domestic matters. He stated, “Those who are calling for everyone to come and intervene in Nigeria, we are waiting for the person who will come and intervene. They will go back in body bags. Because nobody will come to Nigeria and tell us how to run our country.”
Barak Zebedee, an activist and lecturer in the Department of Biology at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Barak Zebedee, an activist and lecturer in the Department of Biology at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, had his home raided by the Kaduna State Police Command on the orders of Mallam El-Rufai, over an alleged inciting comment in a WhatsApp group. The social media group was formed to mobilise support for thousands of displaced persons in Southern Kaduna communities, and it is suspected that the government infiltrated it. Instead of stopping the killings and displacements of citizens, Malam El-Rufai would rather accuse Zebedee of sponsoring the crisis and had him arrested and detained without trial. When the administration was unable to establish a case against the activist, he was freed, just like many other victims of the state clampdown policy.
You can also read: Victor Antai, Nigerian Politician Who Places Conscience Above Loyalty
Nine Chiefs of Adara – Shortly after the murder of the Agom Adara of Adara, Bawa Magaji, who assumed leadership as Wazirin Adara, wrote to Mallam El-Rufai seeking dialogue over the governor’s order to convert the predominantly Christian kingdom into an emirate. When repeated appeals through emissaries were ignored, the elders took legal action to challenge the decision. A week before the hearing, nine elders, including Bawa Magaji, Sani Magaji (retired Commissioner of Police/Baradan Adara), Awemi Dio Maisamari (ADA President), Joseph Abdallah (ADA National Treasurer), and several village heads, were arrested. They were detained for 106 days before being released by the court for want of evidence. El-Rufai later turned the Adara Kingdom into an emirate and appointed a Fulani man to head the predominantly Christian area. In May 2025, A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna awarded N900 million in damages against former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and three others for the arbitrary arrest and detention of the Adara elders.
Gabriel Idibia, Kaduna-based reporter with The Union Newspaper
Gabriel Idibia, a Kaduna-based reporter with The Union newspaper, was charged to court in Kaduna after openly calling on Mallam El-Rufai to comply with Nigerian law by declaring his assets and making them available to the public. Asset declaration is a statutory requirement for Nigerian public office holders, aimed at increasing openness and accountability in government. Rather than addressing the substance of the demand, the Kaduna State Government under Malam El-Rufai accused the reporter of misconduct. Observers interpreted his prosecution as yet another example of using the court to intimidate journalists and discourage scrutiny of people in power.
Jacob Dickson, reporter with Authentic News, Kaduna.
Jacob Dickson, a reporter with Authentic News, Kaduna, was arrested by the Kaduna State Police command on April 27, 2016, over a report that Malam El-Rufai was pelted by angry youth while trying to settle a misunderstanding with residents of two disputing communities. Then they took him to the Kaduna Magistrates Court, charged him with incitement and returned him to custody the same day. As Mr. Dickson was put under custody, the Minister of Culture and Information, Lai Mohammed, on the same day delivered an address on behalf of President Buhari to a meeting of the Federation of African Journalists hosted by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abuja. Mr. Mohammed had told the gathering of the importance of a free media and claimed that no journalist was being detained or harassed in Nigeria. Mr. Dickson was freed on May 5, 2016, after spending seven days in prison.
Segun Onibiyo, reporter with Federal Government-owned Radio Nigeria
Segun Onibiyo, a reporter with Federal Government-owned Radio Nigeria, was arrested, detained and charged in court on the orders of Malam El-Rufai on November 14, 2019. The intolerant governor was allegedly angered by Mr. Onibiyo’s social media post and remanded him in prison for 24 days. The journalist, a strong critic of Malam El-Rufai and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was charged with alleged defamation of character and making a false statement against Mr. El-Rufai. The journalist was freed after a High Court in Kaduna granted him bail in the sum of N2 million. The Kaduna State Government under Malam El-Rufai did not continue with the case.
Sunny Yayock, a freelance journalist, was arrested and detained before he was charged in court over a WhatsApp comment in which he expressed support for a peaceful demonstration against continuing mass killings in southern Kaduna. Although his comment was in line with demands for nonviolent civic engagement, the then-governor viewed it as grounds for arrest. Yayock was captured along with his colleague Joseph Midat, and both men were kept in police custody for two days before being charged to court. They were ultimately granted bail. The government never pursued the case beyond the arrest and detention.
Adamu Abdullahi, a social media activist, was arrested and questioned by the Kaduna State Police Command for reportedly retweeting a post indicating that angry youth pelted Mallam El-Rufai. Even when the authorities did not contest the report’s accuracy, Abdullahi was arrested, and the action was widely perceived as punitive rather than investigative. His detention, which was allegedly carried out at the governor’s request, sparked concerns about the abuse of state power and the suppression of opposing voices. He was not charged.
Samuel Ogundipe, former investigative reporter with Premium Times, now Managing Editor at Peoples Gazette.
Samuel Ogundipe, a former investigative reporter with Premium Times and now Managing Editor at Peoples Gazette, came under pressure from the El-Rufai family after exposing and condemning the governor’s son, Bello El-Rufai. Bello had taken to the microblogging platform X and threatened to gang-rape the mother of a perceived critic of his dad. Ogundipe not only reported the event but also made the story viral, resulting in public outrage. In response, Bello El-Rufai, following a pattern associated with his father, threatened legal action against the journalist for publishing his words. Although his mother initially backed him, she eventually apologised, admitting that she did not fully grasp the circumstances behind the controversy.
Nasiru Jagaba, Middle Belt Forum youth leader
Nasiru Jagaba, a Middle Belt Forum youth leader, was arrested alongside members of the group for protesting the killings and displacements of Southern Kaduna indigenous peoples in 2020. Mr. Jagaba, who led the protest near the NNPC Junction on Kachia Road on the outskirts of Kaduna, accused the government and security agencies of colluding. Before the protesters could move a few metres towards the city centre, police surrounded them, arrested their leaders, and forced them to abandon their protest on the orders of Malam El-Rufai. While the governor has not arrested and or prosecuted those perpetrating the carnage in Southern Kaduna, he has been consistent in arresting those who demand protection from his government.
Gloria Ballason, young activist and legal practitioner
Gloria Ballason, a young activist and legal practitioner, has had a strained relationship with Mallam El-Rufai due to her involvement in multiple human rights cases against his administration. In 2016, during a visit by then Nigerian Bar Association President A.B. Mahmoud (SAN) to the Kaduna Government House, El-Rufai threatened to abduct Ballason over a critical article she wrote. The young lawyer took legal action and, in May 2017, secured a ruling of the Kaduna State High Court affirming that her rights had been violated, with damages awarded against the governor. Despite this, her law office was blocked by police on the governor’s orders in 2019. In July 2020, the High Court, presided over by Justice Hannatu Balogun, again ruled against El-Rufai and the police, finding that they violated her right to practice law and breached the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.
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