Security operatives from the Kaduna State Police Command on Thursday sealed off the African Democratic Congress (ADC) office located at No. 4 Ali Akilu Road, Kaduna.
It was learned that the action came just hours before the Northwest leadership of the ADC was scheduled to visit the state chapter on a commiseration mission.
The visit was meant to sympathise with members who were brutally attacked by political thugs last week.
According to eyewitnesses, several police patrol vans were deployed around the premises in what appeared to be a coordinated effort to block access to the opposition party’s office.
A source told the media, “The leadership of ADC in Kaduna State is expected to receive the North-West leadership of the ADC on a commiseration visit following last week’s attack on its members by some political thugs.”
Last week, the media reported how a group of thugs reportedly hired by the state government attacked the transition meeting of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the ADC in Kaduna town, injuring several persons.
It was learnt that the SDP and ADC coalition meeting was held under the leadership of Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of the state.
The government-backed thugs attacked the Kaduna State Transitional Leadership meeting at the Conference Hall of NUT Endwell in Magadishu Layout.
It was gathered that some members were attacked and sustained severe injuries, while the windscreens of several vehicles, including that of El-Rufai, were destroyed, and some windows of the conference hall were damaged.
The thugs attacked the venue in the presence of armed policemen earlier deployed by the government to stop the meeting.
Sources at the meeting told the media that the state government was said to have pressured some event centres to cancel bookings earlier made by the opposition.
“This is an indication of the bloody politics that lie ahead, heralding the political squabble between El-Rufai and his former godson, Governor Uba Sani,” a top source revealed.
A chieftain of the party in the state, Yusuf Shehu Bello, had also sued the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police at the Federal High Court, Kaduna, over alleged unlawful restrictions on political gatherings.
Bello, through his counsel, Barrister Farouk Dikko, filed an interlocutory injunction seeking to restrain the police authorities from suspending, disrupting, or interfering with political meetings held in public places or hotels within the state.
Speaking to journalists after the filing on Monday, Bello explained that the suit became necessary following the Kaduna State Police Command’s recent directive that political parties must obtain prior notice before convening meetings in public places, including hotels.
According to him, the order was unconstitutional and an infringement on the fundamental right of association guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.
“We are in court to seek protection for our democratic rights. The police have no constitutional powers to suspend political activities. Instead, their duty is to provide security and ensure such gatherings are peaceful,” he stated.
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