Toyyibat Qasim
A Magistrate Court sitting in Kabala, Kaduna State, has ordered the remand of 12 opposition party leaders arrested in connection with the political violence that erupted during campaign activities in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area.
The development has heightened concerns over the safety of opposition campaigners ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly following allegations that an All Progressives Congress chieftain accused of inciting violence was released after his arrest while the opposition leaders remained in custody.
The 12 detained politicians comprise eight members of the African Democratic Congress and four members of the Peoples Democratic Party.
A source familiar with the development said the politicians were taken before the Kabala Magistrate Court on Wednesday after spending time in police custody.
“They moved our people to court from the state command and the judge remanded them at Kabala Police Station. They will bring them back to the court for mention,” the source said.
The arrests followed a violent incident that disrupted political campaign activities in Kafanchan on Monday.
Among those detained are ADC members Anas Usman Amfani, Abubakar Sadiq, Abdulmalik Muhammad, Ibrahim Tanimu Amfani, Hamza Kure, Bala Nuhu, Sauban Jibril and the party’s Jema’a Local Government Chairman, Ya’u Zakariya.
The PDP members are the party’s Jema’a chairman, Hassan Yaro, as well as Babangida Talle, Aliyu Saeed and Dini Muhammad.
However, an APC chieftain, Isyaka Abdullahi Ladan, who was reportedly arrested alongside some of the opposition leaders, was subsequently released.
The development followed heightened political tension in Kafanchan which began on Sunday after Ladan was alleged to have directed APC youths to prevent opposition parties from conducting campaign activities in the area.
The allegation has not been independently established.
According to a Kafanchan resident and ADC supporter, Aliyu Haruna, the opposition politicians were initially taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Kaduna after their arrest.
He alleged that the arrests were connected with Monday’s violence, but questioned why opposition politicians were being detained while Ladan had been released.
“They said that they caused violence in the local government area, which is not true,” Haruna said.
He further alleged that the arrests could restrict opposition parties from freely campaigning ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Let everybody do their own peacefully but they can’t force us to do what we don’t like,” he said.
The controversy stems from a series of campaign activities in Kafanchan that reportedly descended into violence on Monday.
The ADC campaign team led by its candidate, Adam Isah Tanko, reportedly held a rally in the morning without incident.
The PDP campaign team later arrived in the area in the evening, but the rally was allegedly disrupted by suspected political thugs.
Police and soldiers subsequently arrived at the scene, with reports alleging that teargas was fired as supporters and residents fled for safety.
Video footage from the scene reportedly showed thick clouds of teargas smoke as people scrambled away from the area.
The Kaduna State PDP governorship candidate, Usman Shehu Bawa, condemned the incident, describing the violence as dangerous to democratic participation.
Bawa, through his spokesperson, Yusuf Idris, urged the ruling APC-led government to guarantee a level playing field for opposition parties to campaign.
“The APC, as the ruling party, should create an enabling environment for us that are in the opposition to sell our manifestos to the public and let the people make their own choices. What are they afraid of?” he asked.
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre also condemned the development, urging President Bola Tinubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services to respond to what it described as emerging signs of political intimidation and violence ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Kaduna State Government said the arrests were carried out by the police and were not ordered by the government.
The state Commissioner for Information, Ahmed Maiyaki, confirmed that arrests had been made but said people from different political parties were among those apprehended.
Maiyaki said the police acted to prevent the situation in Kafanchan from degenerating further.
“I don’t want to preempt the police investigation. Let’s allow the police to finish their investigation,” he said.
The Kaduna State Police Command had not publicly responded to the allegations surrounding the reported selective release of Ladan and the continued detention of the opposition leaders as of the time of filing this report.
The latest development comes less than a year before the 2027 general elections and has renewed concerns about whether political parties will be able to campaign freely in volatile areas without intimidation or violence.
'
'Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
