Kaduna on Edge: El‑Rufai, ADC, and the Police Showdown

By: Abudu Olalekan

Kaduna has seen drama before. But this latest chapter between El‑Rufai, ADC, and the Police feels different—sharper, more personal, like a standoff that refuses to cool down. At the center, as always, stands Mallam Nasir El‑Rufai. Former governor. Fiery politician. Lightning rod. This time, he isn’t inside Government House, but still pulling thunder.

Here’s what happened.

Last week, the secretariat of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna was sealed shut by police officers. No warning bells, no gradual buildup—just locked doors, armed men, and confusion. The reason? Authorities claimed there was a court order barring activity at the office. But strangely, no copy was presented to the party. No official paperwork. Just the commissioner of police saying so.

That alone was enough to spark suspicion.

The ADC was preparing to host its North-West leadership that day, a solidarity visit after violent attacks on some of its members by suspected thugs. Chairs broken. Faces bloodied. Stories of policemen standing aside while mayhem unfolded. For the party, sealing the building on the very day allies were coming to console the victims looked less like coincidence and more like a calculated strike.

The police invitation came soon after. Seven men were called up. Big names: El‑Rufai himself, party chairman Bashir Sa’idu, and five others connected to the ADC’s operations. Their alleged crimes were bundled together in legal terms—incitement, conspiracy, disorderly conduct. The summons felt heavy-handed.

But El‑Rufai did what El‑Rufai often does. He refused to play along. Instead of walking into the Criminal Investigation Department for questioning, he fired back with his own weapon: a petition. Addressed not to the local command but to the Police Service Commission in Abuja. In it, he accused Kaduna’s Police Commissioner, Muhammad Rabiu, of “serial violations” and conduct “unbecoming of his office.”

It wasn’t the first petition either. El‑Rufai had earlier written to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, warning about what he called “egregiously unlawful behavior” by some officers in Kaduna. That, in his view, did nothing. So, he escalated the fight.

In his words, the police must remain the nation’s “frontline law enforcement, warts and all.” Yet, he argued, certain officers had dropped that duty, now “serving interests other than those conferred by law.” He wrapped it up with a claim that this betrayal wasn’t just against him, but against Nigerians’ fragile trust in the system itself.

The irony? A man once feared for his iron‑fist approach to opposition now positions himself as whistleblower-in-chief, demanding fairness for a party not in power. It’s a plot twist Kaduna residents are watching with raised brows.

The police command, for its part, has largely remained quiet, at least officially. Calls to its spokesperson have gone unanswered. The silence itself only fuels more speculation.

Behind the legal sparring, however, real violence is creeping. The attack on ADC members last week is still raw. Several were injured. The timing looked suspect: just before a planned coalition meeting. Eyewitnesses accused police officers of standing by as the chaos unfolded. That memory lingers, adding to why many in the opposition camp doubt the neutrality of security forces.

Then there’s the state government. They’re not hiding their irritation with El‑Rufai. In a sharply worded statement, the Commissioner for Internal Security, Dr. Shehu Shuaibu, accused him of plotting to destabilize Kaduna’s “hard-won peace.” A heavy phrase, loaded with intent. The message was clear: if trouble comes, El‑Rufai will take the blame.

And so the city waits, restless. On one side, the police, emboldened enough to seal offices and summon top politicians. On the other, El‑Rufai and ADC leaders, refusing to bow, swearing to drag matters to the Supreme Court if needed. In between, ordinary Kaduna residents, already weary of broken politics and bloodied rallies.

This is not just a dispute over court orders, nor simply a quarrel about who has the authority to open or close party headquarters. It’s a deeper fight—for legitimacy, for control of the narrative, for who gets to claim custody of Kaduna’s fragile peace.

One thing is clear: this won’t end quietly. El‑Rufai himself hinted: “This is not the end. Other things will follow.” In Kaduna, that line is less a threat and more a promise. The stage feels set, and the actors aren’t stepping away.