Group requests President Tinubu to bar El-Rufai from holding public office over alleged human rights violation

By Samuel Luka,
Bauchi

A group under the platform of Markaz Old Boys Association (MOBA) has appealed to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led federal government to bar the former Kaduna state governor, Mal. Nasir El-Rufai from holding any public position in the country.

“We want the Government to bar Elrufa’i from holding any position for ever for his lack of respect to human being and declare him a tyrant ruler who has no respect for the fundamental human right”, MOBA requested in a press statement made available to newsmen in Bauchi on Wednesday.

The group also demanded that Mal. Nasir El-Rufai give account of the attack on the Kaduna residence of a renown Islamic scholar, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi during his reign.

MOBA, our Correspondent reports that it is an Association of Disciples of the Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi.

The group appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Senator Uba Sani and Human Right Associations to investigate the activities of former Kaduna State Governor Elrufa’i.

The statement which was signed by MOBA Assistant secretary, Mallam Ahmad Tijjani Muhammad accused El-Rufai of abusing power and violating the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by attacking the residence of Sheikh Bauchi, during which 160 Qur’anic pupils were evacuated to unknown destination.

The statement which came at the end of the National Executive Council meeting of the Association, described the raid as injustice, unwarranted and an abuse of the fundamental rights of the Scholar, his disciple’s right to live anywhere in the country.

According to MOBA, invading the house of a renowned Islamic cleric, peace lover and Qur’anic legend “at 12 midnight, firing teargas on peaceful and sleeping students and his family is highly unwarranted and unjustifiable and a clear abuse of their fundamental human rights.

“Even if Sheikh didn’t say anything, he deserve apology from the then Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir Elrufai. Sheikh is a spiritual leader that always prays for peace and stability in Kaduna State and Nigeria”, the group said.

They further described Sheikh Bauchi as a person government at all levels consult as elder and scholar of high repute on how to bring everlasting solution to the present security challenges in the country.

The statement also appealed to the present Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani to do his best and right the wrong doings and human right abuse perpetrated by Elrufa’i to Maulana Sheikh Dahiru.

They noted that the renown Islamic scholar has in his over 100-year journey of propagating Islamic knowledge, has also preaches for peace and stability in Kaduna State and the country at large

The group recalled that during Mal. Nasiru El-Rufai administration, security personnel staged a commando-style raid on the residence of Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi in Kaduna, where they made away with 160 qur’anic pupils from the residence learning at a tsangaya school belonging to the Islamic scholar.

They further recalled that the raiders were officials of the Kaduna State Government under the instruction of Nasir El-Rufa’i.

“The taskforce had stormed the school a little past midnight while the children were sleeping.

The appended pupils, according to the statement were loaded in vehicles and escorted by security agents to the Hajj Camp along Mando Road, adding that the raid generated quite an uproar.

The group stated that since the incident, the directorate of education of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi Foundation has made several efforts to recover the children, but many are still unaccounted for.