March 13, (THEWILL) – A former Kaduna State Commissioner, Jafaru Sani, has been arrested by security operatives, sparking controversy over the motive behind his detention.
Sani, who served under ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai, recently resigned from the All Progressives Congress and joined the Social Democratic Party, aligning with El-Rufai.
Confirming the arrest in a statement on Thursday, El-Rufai alleged that Sani was picked up in Kaduna by police officers acting on the orders of Governor Uba Sani.
He further claimed that the former commissioner had been remanded in prison without a First Information Report or formal charges.
Reacting to the development, El-Rufai described the arrest as a politically motivated crackdown on opposition figures.
He 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!
“Jafaru was remanded in prison custody by a magistrate without any police FIR or charges from 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 nor the police have jurisdiction to investigate or adjudicate.
“His real crime is his resignation from the APC and joining the SDP, after being proposed as the replacement ministerial nominee representing Kaduna State in August 2023.”
El-Rufai further alleged that the same tactics were used against his former Chief of Staff, Bashir Saidu, who was detained on December 31, 2024, and held for 50 days before being granted 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. There will be accountability for all decisions and actions one day, soon,” El-Rufai added.
The Kaduna State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement regarding Sani’s arrest. Efforts to reach the command’s spokesperson, DSP Abubakar Aliyu, were unsuccessful as of press time.
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