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Citizens Support for Good Governance (CSGG) has called for a comprehensive, independent and transparent investigation into killings, insecurity, alleged human rights abuses, financial disputes and other unresolved issues related to the administration of former Kaduna State governor Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai between 2015 and 2023.
The appeal is contained in a statement released on Thursday in Kaduna and jointly signed by the CSGG National Coordinator, Dr. Adeosun Olumide Olayinka; National Secretary, Hon. Hamis Danbaba Malumfashi; and the Director of Media and Public Communications, Hon. Victor Matteo Bobai. Project reports
The CSGG said the renewed public attention to allegations stemming from the previous administration made it necessary for relevant Nigerian institutions to conduct a thorough, impartial and evidence-based investigation capable of establishing the truth, bringing justice to victims and exonerating anyone wrongly accused.
The organization stressed that an investigation should not be seen as an attempt to convict someone, insisting that credible allegations must be checked against evidence and the law.
“Serious allegations should not be swept under the carpet. If allegations are false, exaggerated or unsupported by evidence, a credible investigation will provide the opportunity for those accused to be exonerated.
“If the evidence proves wrongdoing, then the appropriate legal institutions should act in accordance with the law,” he said.
Surveys on homicides and insecurity
The CSGG said the proposed investigation should examine major killings and violent attacks recorded in Kaduna State during the eight-year period, including incidents resulting in deaths, injuries, displacement and destruction of property.
Investigators should establish the number of serious attacks, victims and displaced persons, communities affected, circumstances surrounding each incident, intelligence or early warnings received from authorities, security measures implemented, and response after attacks.
The group also wants investigators to establish how many suspects have been arrested, how many cases have been investigated and prosecuted, and the number of convictions obtained.
According to the CSGG, particular attention should be paid to repeated attacks in southern Kaduna, where community leaders, residents and human rights organizations have expressed concern about killings, attacks on rural communities and the alleged failure to protect vulnerable populations.
“The purpose is not to create blame. The purpose is to establish accountability where evidence exists and to identify institutional failures where they have occurred,” he said.
The Zaria crisis needs to be looked into
The organization also called for a fresh examination of the December 2015 Zaria crisis involving the Nigerian army and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).
It said the circumstances surrounding the deaths, destruction of property, removal and burial of bodies and the implementation of recommendations from previous investigations should be subjected to careful review.
The CSGG recalled that a Kaduna State Judicial Commission of Inquiry was established following the incident and that the issue of mass burial subsequently became a major human rights concern.
The group said any new examination should establish the full circumstances of the crisis, the number and identities of those who died, where possible, the role played by the military and state government, whether applicable procedures were followed and whether recommendations from previous investigations were implemented.
However, he cautioned against assigning blame without evidence.
Human rights, justice for victims
The CSGG said that allegations of unlawful killings, disappearances, unlawful detentions, mistreatment of detainees and forced displacements should also be investigated wherever credible complaints or official documents exist.
It urged the National Human Rights Commission and other relevant institutions to examine such allegations and determine whether violations had occurred and who, if any, should bear legal responsibility.
The organization also called for an evaluation of the treatment of victims and displaced communities, including humanitarian assistance, rehabilitation, aid distribution and possible compensation for affected families, where applicable.
The investigation should also determine whether government interventions during ethnic, religious and community crises were timely and whether affected communities were treated fairly.
Financial charges
CSGG said financial allegations arising from the 2024 Kaduna State House investigation into the previous administration should also be subjected to legal investigations and, where necessary, judicial determinations.
The Assembly’s ad hoc commission examined issues related to loans, contracts, grants, project implementation and other financial issues for the period 2015-2023.
The CSGG emphasized that a legislative committee’s findings or allegations should not automatically be treated as evidence of criminal conduct.
“An indictment by a legislative committee is not a criminal conviction. Every accusation must be verified according to the law, and every accused person has the right to a fair trial,” the organization said.
He also referred to corruption allegations involving the former governor initiated in formal legal proceedings, stressing that charges filed by law enforcement remain allegations until decided by the courts.
“The existence of an accusation or accusation does not equate to guilt. Courts must be able to decide cases based on evidence and the law,” the CSGG said.
No selective investigations
The CSGG insisted that a true investigation must examine the roles of all relevant institutions and individuals linked to particular incidents rather than focusing solely on the former governor.
It listed the Kaduna State Government, the Federal Government, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, intelligence and security agencies, local government authorities, relevant ministries, departments and agencies, traditional and community institutions among those whose roles should be examined where relevant.
“No investigation should unfairly isolate an individual by ignoring the roles and responsibilities of institutions constitutionally responsible for security,” he said.
The group argued that its goal was “the truth, not political persecution,” adding that an independent investigation could establish wrongdoing where evidence exists and at the same time exonerate people who may have been wrongly accused.
The CSGG seeks broader institutional support
The organization appealed to the National Assembly, Kaduna State House of Assembly, National Human Rights Commission, law enforcement and judicial institutions, civil society organizations and professional bodies to support legal efforts aimed at resolving the outstanding issues.
It also called for adequate engagement from bodies including the Nigeria Union of Journalists, the Nigeria Labor Congress, the Nigeria Governors Forum, the Northern Governors Forum, ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations and credible international human rights organisations, subject to their respective mandates and applicable legal frameworks.
The CSGG expressly urged the Kaduna State House of Assembly to consider all constitutional and legal measures at its disposal when considering the unresolved issues of the period.
He said that any investigation should be independent, impartial, transparent, professional and evidence-based, in full compliance with the Constitution and the rule of law.
“Kaduna deserves the truth”
The CSGG said years of insecurity and violence have left many families and communities in Kaduna with painful unanswered questions.
“Families have lost loved ones. Communities have been attacked. Citizens have been displaced. There are questions that remain unanswered.
“The people of Kaduna deserve answers,” he said.
The organization argued that justice for victims and fairness to defendants are not contradictory, insisting that both could be achieved through a credible investigative process.
“Let every credible allegation be investigated. Let every accused person receive a fair trial. Let every institution involved be examined. Let the evidence speak. Let innocent people be exonerated.
“And where credible evidence establishes wrongdoing, we let the appropriate legal process take its course.”
The CSGG said Kaduna cannot build lasting peace by ignoring the painful questions of its past, stressing that truth must be established, justice must be evidence-based and every person must be treated equally before the law.
