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by Omokuri
Ambassador-designate Reno Omokri has highlighted the controversial career of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai amid the current controversy over his person.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Omokri detailed El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure, citing alleged human rights abuses, crackdowns on dissidents, and the demolition of the properties of critics.
He shared a disturbing photo of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, which he said had become a “barbaric and pathetic state” under El-Rufai’s rule.
Omokri claimed that 347 Shia Muslims, including women, children, and infants, were killed during this period. Other estimates put the death toll at around 1,000.
“In addition to reducing Sheikh Zakzaky to such barbaric and pathetic conditions, 347 Shia Muslim men, women, children and infants were massacred under Nasir El-Rufai,” the ambassador-elect wrote.
Omokri also cited the case of critic Abubakar Idris, who was abducted and presumed dead, and several journalists and activists who were arrested or forced to flee the country on suspicion of revenge against El-Rufai.
He also accused El-Rufai of demolishing properties linked to his critics, including Senator Suleiman Funkuyi and Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir.
“Nasir El-Rufai has arrested several journalists and activists, including Jacob Onjeu Dickson, Segun Onibiyo, Midat Joseph and Audu Maikoli, for reporting negatively on him.
“Audu Maikoli had to flee from Nigeria to the United States, where I met him, interviewed him, and was horrified by what Nasir El-Rufai did to him,” Omokri said.
Public commentator Omokri denounced El-Rufai’s current claims of persecution, saying he was being prosecuted for crimes including allegedly stealing 423 billion rupees while he was governor. He urged El-Rufai to stop his hype and face the law, stressing that no one is above the law.
“Mr. Nasir El-Rufai is being pursued by no less than the Kaduna State House of Assembly for the alleged theft of R423 billion while in office. He is not above the law and is not above arrest. He should not resist lawful arrest or try to blame others for his alleged crimes,” Omokri wrote.
The post concludes with Omokri’s assertion that El-Rufai’s history of suppressing dissent and committing alleged atrocities should not be ignored, and that he should be held accountable for his actions.
Recall that on Thursday, there was a dramatic incident involving El-Rufai and the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
El-Rufai’s supporters said security agents tried to arrest him when he arrived from Cairo, but he resisted because he did not have a formal invitation or warrant.
DSS operatives allegedly confiscated his international passport, sparking the anger of onlookers who advocated for due process. El-Rufai’s lawyer condemned the move as “illegal” and a “clear violation of his constitutional rights” and demanded the return of his passport and an apology.
