Nasir El Rufai, the governor of Kaduna State, has made an attempt in damage control over the discredited claim by the Muhammadu Buhari administration that it spends N3.5 million feeding the illegally detained leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.
Governor El Rufai also justified the continued detention of Sheikh El Zakzaky though there is a court order for his release on bail.
According to the governor, El-Zakzaky is not being held illegally but detained on the orders of a competent court, being a suspect standing trial for multiple murders and other related criminal offences.
He said the Shi’ite leader is in custody as ordered by the court, in accordance with the law on murder charges, which is a capital offence.
El-Rufai made the revelations, on Thursday, November 15, 2018, in Kaduna, when he received management team of The Sun Publishing Limited.
El-Zakzaky was arrested in 2015, following a confrontation between his group and the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai.
Although there was an order by a Federal High Court in 2016 that he be released, El-Rufai revealed that the said order had no bearing on El-Zakzaky’s current case since he is currently being tried by the Kaduna State government and not the Federal Government.
The governor said the state government took time to investigate the Shi’ite leader and discovered that his activities for more than 20 years had caused several killings.
He said having concluded investigation, the state took custody of El-Zakzaky from the DSS and duly charged him with multiple murders.
Explaining the alleged daily expenses of about N3.5 million on El-Zakzaky, he said the money was not on feeding of the Shi’ite leader but on everything related to his protective custody.
El-Rufai said El-Zakzaky is guarded by a detachment of soldiers and DSS operatives who live in the place he is being kept and who are maintained by the state government.
He said: “The N3.5 million monthly feeding on El-Zakzaky is not only about his food, but other expenses on security men attached to him. The security men are permanently stationed with him, they surrounded where he is kept.
“He is in custody because he is facing murder charge which is not bailable, among other charges.
“As a government, we decided to proscribe Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, of which El-Zakzaky is the president because it is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC. So any procession in the name of IMN is illegal, as far as Kaduna State government is concerned.”
Explains his choice of a female running mate for 2019 elections, he said it was done to tell female youths in the North that the woman’s place is not only to bear and take care of children but also to participation in governance and leadership.
He said the choice of Hadiza Balarabe, a Muslim, was a product of the collective courage of his team in government, as part of effort to change girl-child perspective that her life only ends up in marriage.
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