The ongoing harassment and attempts to arrest Mallam Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, the Director-General of Media and Publicity for the Kano State Government, have been denounced by the New Nigeria Peoples Party, or NNPP.
Ladipo Johnson, the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, said in a statement released in Kano on Wednesday that police officials are continuing to attempt to arrest Dawakin-Tofa in spite of a court order prohibiting the Nigeria Police from doing so, ostensibly in response to orders from Abuja.
Johnson explained that a petition purportedly written against Dawakin-Tofa by former Kano State Governor and National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, or APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, or people working on his behalf, is the reason for the repeated attempts to arrest him and the possible harassment of his family members.The NNPP spokesperson denounced the police’s conduct, calling it a flagrant abuse of authority and an insult to the rule of law. In order to prevent what he described as an illegal arrest, he disclosed that Dawakin-Tofa had been compelled to go into hiding.
He said: “With such abuse of power, intimidation, and harassment of state government officials, the situation in Kano is now degenerating into chaos, as the general public can see.” The situation is regrettable and quite distressing. And this, I dare say, comes from a party that is trying to create the false impression that it can draw in international investors. How many investors would decide to do business in a nation where institutions designed to uphold the rule of law are blatantly abusing it?
The reputation of the Nigeria Police is severely damaged by any further attempts to arrest Sanusi because of the court injunction that prevents the police from acting. The unfortunate power struggle in Kano over the Emirate saga serves as a somber reminder of past acts and posturing. In Northern Nigeria in particular, the ruling party might eventually realize how much their leadership has damaged their reputation.
The NNPP demanded that Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police, make sure the police department as a whole avoids the perilous slide into party politics. Additionally, the party requested him to stop his personnel from harassing and intimidating Dawakin-Tofa any more, highlighting that her fundamental human rights are legally protected and must be upheld.
