The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a strong rebuke to the Nigerian Police and the Federal Government, FG, alleging that law enforcement agencies are being used to intimidate and harass opposition figures.
The party’s concerns follow a police summons issued to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and a recent attack on the convoy of former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, in Kebbi State.
In a press statement released on Friday, signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described the events as an “assault on Nigeria’s democracy itself.”
Abdullahi argued that the police have become a tool for political suppression rather than a national security department focused on combating criminal violence and banditry, which continues to plague communities across the country.
He highlighted two specific incidents. In Kaduna, Abdullahi claimed that a peaceful ADC gathering was attacked by thugs while police allegedly looked on.
Instead of arresting the culprits, the police have since summoned El-Rufai and other party leaders, whom the ADC considers to be the victims of the attack.
Furthermore, he accused police authorities in Kaduna of sealing off the party’s office, an act it labelled as an illegal attempt to prevent lawful political assembly.
In Kebbi State, Abdullahi condemned the daylight attack on Abubakar Malami’s convoy, which he said occurred near a police outpost.
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Abdullahi noted that despite the seriousness of the incident, no arrests have been made and the perpetrators remain at large.
He called on the FG and the Inspector General of Police to immediately withdraw the summons issued to El-Rufai and other party leaders, asserting that the invitations are politically motivated.
Abdullahi also demanded that the police unseal its Kaduna office and publish the names of the individuals who filed the complaints against the ADC leaders.
He demanded that the security agencies arrest and prosecute those responsible for the attacks on Malami’s convoy in Kebbi and the thugs who disrupted the ADC’s gathering in Kaduna.
Abdullahi warned that the failure to bring these individuals to justice would be a dangerous sign for the nation’s democracy.
