The Kaduna State government has debunked a statement issued by the Islamic human rights organisation, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), on Saturday, August 17, 2024, describing it as unfounded, misleading, and an imagination of the authorsfalsehood.
Recall that MURIC recently accused the State government (KDSG) of dragging the North back by a hundred years by pursuing political vendetta against the former governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i. The group, in a statement issued by its Executive Director, Professor Is’haq Akintola, specifically slammed KDSG for ignoring all the brilliant legal practitioners in the North to pick a lawyer from the South-West for the purpose of prosecuting el-Rufa’i.
The lawmakers in the State had indicted el-Rufa’i for allegedly embezzling the sum of N423 billion from the Government’s Treasury during his 8-year tenure as governor. Also, his former Special Adviser and ally, Jimi Lawal, has been detained and is undergoing investigation by the ICPC over N11 billion after evading arrest.
In a signed media statement issued yesterday, the State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Sule Shuaibu (SAN), urged the public to regard MURICs claims as attention-seeking misinformation.
Giving further clarification, Shu’aibu (SAN) revealed that contrary to MURICs claims, the Kaduna State Government did not engage Femi Falana (SAN), or any other legal practitioner to prosecute former governor Nasir el-Rufa’i or his associates.
The statement also declared that MURIC failed to provide a charge number, or the name of the court where the trial is allegedly ongoing. Instead, it said, the case in question is a fundamental rights enforcement matter initiated by el-Rufa’i himself, with Kaduna State as a Respondent, alongside the House of Assembly.
The Government expressed disappointment that MURIC has resorted to tribal inclinations and discrimination, deviating from its original aim of advocating for Muslim rights in Nigeria. It accused MURIC of being hijacked by individuals with self-serving interests, turning the organisation into a regional and ethnic biased platform.
The State Government emphasised that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) prohibits discrimination based on gender, religion, tribe, or region. It, therefore, said it found it ironic that MURIC criticised the current State government for hiring a Yoruba lawyer from the South-West while failing to do so during el-Rufais tenure.
