Human rights advocacy group, the Transparency and Accountability Network TAN, has called on world powers to deny former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, entry into their countries, alleging that his recent utterances and records as governor, endanger peace and humanity.
In an open letter addressed to the United Nation’s Secretary General, Ambassadors and High Commissioners of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, China and other nations represented in Nigeria, TAN’s national coordinator, Comrade Michael Briggs, urged the international community to “act decisively” against the former governor.
Briggs accused El-Rufai of “stoking the fire of ethnic and religious hatred,” particularly against the people of Southern Kaduna.
El-Rufai, while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, claimed that the people of Southern Kaduna account for less than 25 per cent of the state’s population, adding that he had no regrets over his actions and policies toward the region during his eight years in office.
“On live television, he looked into the eyes of a nation and began the process of wiping a people off the map. He is telling his followers that these people do not count, that they are not enough to matter. When you believe a people do not matter, it becomes easy to look away when they are slaughtered”, Briggs stated.
TAN also recalled El-Rufai’s controversial 2019 remark during the general elections, when he allegedly threatened to send international election observers home “in body bags,” describing it as evidence of a man who “believes he is above all laws, both human and divine.”
According to the group, Kaduna “drowned in blood” under El-Rufai’s watch, citing repeated attacks on Southern Kaduna communities and accusing the government of indifference.
The letter further pointed to the 2015 military crackdown on members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria IMN in Zaria, which left hundreds dead, alleging that El-Rufai condoned atrocities against his own citizens.
TAN warned foreign governments against granting the former governor safe haven abroad.
“We cannot allow a man who threatens genocide on his own people to then board a plane and find a safe haven in your countries. He does not deserve your visa. He does not deserve your protection. He does not deserve a single moment of peace while the ghosts of those he has wronged still cry out for justice.”
The group demanded that El-Rufai be declared persona non grata worldwide, barred from traveling or residing abroad, and denied access to financial institutions outside Nigeria.
According to TAN, such action would not only send a strong message to victims of violence that they are not forgotten but also serve as a deterrent to leaders who exploit hate speech to fuel division.
“Your action now is not just about border control. It is about telling Southern Kaduna they are seen, telling the victims they are remembered, and telling El-Rufai and others like him that the world will no longer provide safe havens for their kind”, the letter concluded.
