Police knock El-Rufai over kidnapping gang claims

The Kaduna State Police Command has responded to a recent claim made by a former Governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai about his ex-commissioner for Local Government and Education, Jafaru Sani, being abducted by a police kidnapping gang.

According to the Kaduna Command, the allegation made by the immediate past Governor was unfounded, false, and misleading, insisting there was no such thing as kidnapping gang.

Media Talk Africa reported that recently writing on his official X handle, the former governor had alleged that Jafaru was abducted by a kidnapping gang claiming to be the police.

However, in its reaction on Saturday, the Public Relations Officer of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mansir Hassan, said the former Governor was making false and misleading allegations against the Command.

The statement said the police have the legal, legitimate and constitutional right to arrest and investigate whoever suspected to have committed an offence.

“Individuals, corporate organisations and government, etc have the Constitutional right to lodge a formal complaint to the police while the police have the mandate to investigate such allegations, and when it’s believed that an offence has been committed, such matter will be prosecuted or referred to the court.

“We urge individuals to always verify allegations before making any public statements, noting that making unverified allegations against security agencies not only misleads the public but also has the potential of undermining the law enforcement agencies.

“Citizens are encouraged to seek legal redress if they feel aggrieved, rather than resort to inflammatory comments that will heat the polity,” he said.

“To put the records straight, there is no kidnapping gang within the Nigerian Police Force. The Nigerian Police, as an institution, is created by the 1999 Constitution. The statutes mandate the police to maintain law and order.

“In the discharge of this constitutional duty, the police have the legal, legitimate, and constitutional right to arrest and investigate whoever is alleged or suspected to have committed an offence,” he added.