Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi Foundation has threatened to take former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai to court for ordering violent night raids on its Islamic schools, and abduction of students and teachers.
The foundation revealed this on Sunday in a statement signed by the Director General of Education and School Services, Sayyadi Ali Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi.
It gave el-Rufai two weeks (end of Ramadan) to apologize for the alleged atrocities he committed against them.
Titled “Nasiru el-Rufai Cannot Escape Accountability,” the foundation said, “El-Rufai is not a victim—he is an oppressor. Any group or party that aligns with him must be fully aware of the damage he has inflicted on innocent lives.”
Sayyadi Ali said, “Under el-Rufai’s administration, security forces carried out violent night raids on our Tsangaya schools. They stormed dormitories, brutalized students and staff, and forcibly removed children from their hostels under false pretenses.
“Some of these children remain unaccounted for to this day. Even members of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi’s family were physically attacked in their home, a direct act of intimidation against one of Nigeria’s most respected Islamic scholars.
“These were not isolated incidents but part of a deliberate attempt to humiliate Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi and undermine his lifelong work in education and peacebuilding.
“Despite these provocations, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi chose peace over retaliation, preventing a crisis that could have destabilized the nation.
“However, patience does not mean impunity. El-Rufai must take responsibility for his actions. We, therefore, reaffirm our ultimatum.”
On January 14, 2021, a Joint Task Force of security personnel comprising the army, the police and other paramilitary officers raided the residence of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi in Kaduna and arrested dozens of occupants of the residence which also served as the scholar’s Qur’anic school.
The Chief Imam of Kaduna Western Bypass Mosque, Malam Fatahu Umar Pandogari, said the security operatives invaded the residence at about 12:00 a.m and arrested the entire occupants in the compound.
He said security personnel did not give any reason when he asked why they were arrested, even as he explained that not everybody living in the compound were students of the school.
Pandogari said they had closed down their schools in response to the order from the state government, but wondered why the government still raided their compound.
