By Muhammad Mamman
Transparency and Accountability Network accuses former Kaduna governor of fueling ethnic, religious divisions in Southern Kaduna.
A Nigerian human rights group has urged the United Nations and several foreign governments, including the United States and United Kingdom, to deny entry to former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai over allegations of incitement and human rights abuses.
In an open letter to the UN Secretary-General, ambassadors, and high commissioners of major countries such as the US, UK, Canada, and China, the Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN) accused El-Rufai of “stoking ethnic and religious hatred,” particularly against communities in Southern Kaduna.
‘A threat to peace and humanity’
Michael Briggs, TAN’s national coordinator, said El-Rufai’s recent comments on national television revealed a dangerous mindset.
“On live television, he looked into the eyes of a nation and began the process of wiping a people off the map,” Briggs said, referring to El-Rufai’s remarks that Southern Kaduna accounts for less than 25 percent of the state’s population.
“When you believe a people do not matter, it becomes easy to look away when they are slaughtered,” Briggs added.
History of controversial remarks
TAN also cited El-Rufai’s 2019 warning during Nigeria’s general elections, when he allegedly threatened international observers with being sent home “in body bags,” describing it as evidence that he “believes he is above all laws, both human and divine.”
The group accused El-Rufai of overseeing widespread violence during his eight-year tenure as governor, alleging that Kaduna “drowned in blood” under his leadership. It referenced repeated attacks on Southern Kaduna communities and the 2015 military crackdown on members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) in Zaria, which left hundreds dead.
—
Call for international sanctions
TAN’s letter urged foreign governments to deny El-Rufai visas, financial access, and safe haven abroad.
“We cannot allow a man who threatens genocide on his own people to then board a plane and find refuge in your countries,” the letter read. “He does not deserve your protection or a single moment of peace while the ghosts of those he has wronged still cry out for justice.”
The group said such measures would serve as both a deterrent to other leaders who exploit hate speech and a sign of solidarity with victims of violence in Nigeria.
“Your action now is not just about border control. It is about telling Southern Kaduna they are seen, telling the victims they are remembered, and telling El-Rufai and others like him that the world will no longer provide safe havens for their kind,” TAN concluded.
