ADC FAULTS KADUNA POLICE OVER HANDLING OF PARTY’S INAUGURATION DISRUPTION

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted the Kaduna State Police Command over its handling of the violent disruption of the party’s inauguration in Kaduna, where party members were attacked by armed thugs. In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused the police of attempting to criminalize legitimate political activity while failing to protect citizens.

The ADC described the police statement on the incident as “more political than professional” and criticized the police for pre-judging individuals and casting the opposition in a negative light. “When the Kaduna State Police Command issued its press release on the unfortunate disruption of the ADC meeting in Kaduna State, where our party leaders and members were attacked by armed thugs, we expected reassurance that justice would be done and that those responsible for the violence would be held to account,” Abdullahi said.

The party also disputed the police claim that their gathering was “unauthorized”, saying that the right to assemble peacefully is guaranteed by the Constitution. “In a democracy, the right to assemble peacefully is guaranteed by the Constitution, not a State Police Command,” Abdullahi stated.

The ADC further criticized the police threat to hold hotels and event centers liable if they host political meetings without police approval, describing it as “ludicrous” and “intimidation of private citizens and businesses”. “No democracy thrives where access to public or private venues is determined by the whims of security agencies under any guise,” Abdullahi added.

The party rejected all attempts by the Kaduna State Police Command to drag their name into acts of violence that they neither organized nor condone, and demanded that the police command immediately revisit its statement, conduct a transparent investigation, and explain why its officers allegedly abandoned their duty when party leaders and members came under attack.

“Democracy is not a crime. Selective policing is,” Abdullahi said, adding that the ADC will not be intimidated into silence. The party also called on all citizens to reject the growing acts of violence and intimidation against opposition parties by the ruling APC at all levels.