The former governor of Kaduna State Nasir el-Rufai, has accused security operatives of abducting Jafaru Sani, the former education commissioner under his administration. El-Rufai, who served as governor from May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023, made the allegation in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, claiming that Sani had been captured by a group he described as a “police kidnapping gang” linked to the current governor of Kaduna, Uba Sani.
El-Rufai alleged that Jafaru Sani was remanded in prison custody by a magistrate, without any formal charges or a police first information report, and that the State Ministry of Justice had not been involved in the process. The former governor claimed that the charges against Sani, including money laundering, were baseless, particularly as they fall under federal jurisdiction, beyond the scope of the State Judiciary and Police.
“Our colleague and versatile former commissioner during the El-Rufai administration, Mallam Jafaru Sani, has been abducted in Kaduna by Uba Sani’s kidnapping gang claiming to be the police this afternoon,” El-Rufai wrote. “Jafaru was remanded in prison custody by a magistrate without any police first information report or charges by the State Ministry of Justice.”
El-Rufai further suggested that Sani’s true “crime” was his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and subsequent switch to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which had led to his nomination as a potential ministerial candidate by El-Rufai in August 2023.
El-Rufai also drew parallels between this incident and the 2024 abduction of another associate, Bashir Saidu, who was allegedly held for 50 days before being released on bail. He voiced concern over the involvement of what he termed “compromised magistrates and high court judges” in Kaduna’s judiciary, warning that accountability would eventually follow.
The rift between El-Rufai and Governor Uba Sani has deepened since Sani assumed office, despite El-Rufai’s initial support during Sani’s gubernatorial campaign. After taking office, Sani accused El-Rufai’s administration of leaving behind massive debts that hindered governance in the state, prompting the Kaduna House of Assembly to probe El-Rufai over allegations of public funds diversion and money laundering.
El-Rufai, in turn, has criticized Sani’s leadership, accusing him of being sycophantic toward President Bola Tinubu, pointing to the N150 billion reimbursements Kaduna received from the federal government over the past 18 months as the motivation behind Sani’s support.
