The immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the incumbent Governor, Uba Sani, of ordering the arrest of his former aide and ex-commissioner, Jafaru Sani.
According to The Guardian, Jafaru was the one nominated by El-Rufai to President Bola Tinubu to replace him as minister in 2023 after the Senate withheld his confirmation and those of two others, citing security reports from the State Security Service.
However, the nomination was allegedly opposed by Sani, whose government is now accused of being behind Jafaru’s arrest.
“Kaduna State government has arrested Malam Ja’afar Ibrahim Sani. The former commissioner that recently defected to SDP,” a source said.
Meanwhile, attempts by our correspondent to confirm the arrest were not successful as the spokesperson for the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Abubakar Aliyu, did not respond to calls to his phone.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, El-Rufai said, “Mallam Jafaru Sani has been abducted in Kaduna by Uba Sani’s kidnapping gang claiming to be the police, this afternoon.”
He added, “Jafaru was remanded in prison custody by a magistrate without any police first information report or charges by the State Ministry of Justice.”
He stated that he learned that Jafaru is being charged with money laundering, “a federal offene that neither the state judiciary nor even the police have jurisdiction to adjudicate or investigate.
“Jafaru’s real crime is his resignation from the APC, and joining the SDP – and having been proposed by he as the replacement ministerial nominee representing Kaduna State in August 2023.
“The tactics are similar to those used against another colleague of ours – Bashir Saidu when he was abducted on the 31st of December, 2024, and kept in captivity for 50 days before he was released on bail.
“The ignominious role of some henpecked and compromised magistrates and high court judges in the Kaduna State judiciary remains a source of great concern to us. We are watching and waiting as no condition is permanent, and there will be accountability for all decisions and actions one day, soon.”
