Mallam Jafaru Sani, a former commissioner during the El-Rufai administration, was arrested by security operatives in Kaduna on Thursday, 13th March.
The arrest was condemned by Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his dismay over what he described as an unlawful action.
El-Rufai claimed that Jafaru was remanded in prison custody by a magistrate without a police First Information Report (FIR) or any official charges brought by the State Ministry of Justice. According to the former governor, inquiries revealed that Jafaru is being charged with money laundering, a federal offence that falls outside the jurisdiction of both the State Judiciary and the Kaduna Police.
[ READ MORE: Former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai Defects from APC to SDP ]
El-Rufai further emphasised that Jafaru’s true “crime” seemed to be his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his subsequent decision to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The former governor added that Jafaru had also been proposed as a replacement ministerial nominee representing Kaduna State in August 2023, a move that appears to have contributed to his persecution.
In his post, El-Rufai said: “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!
[READ MORE: El-Rufai Reveals He Sought Buhari’s Approval Before Defecting from APC ]
“Jafaru was remanded in prison custody by a magistrate without any police first information report or charges by the State Ministry of Justice.
“On inquiry, we have learned that Jafaru is being charged with money laundering – a federal offense that neither the State Judiciary or 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.
[ READ MORE: El-Rufai: Tinubu Begged Me in Kaduna to Join His Government and Address Nigeria’s Electricity Crisis ]
“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.”
