A coalition of ten prominent Kaduna State activists has issued a strongly worded statement accusing the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) of diverting resources toward suppressing dissent while terrorists and bandits responsible for mass civilian killings continue to operate with impunity across the state.
The statement, dated June 27, 2026, and signed by activists including Steven Kefas, VS Ntong, and Gloriah Ballason, was triggered by three specific incidents: the arrest of Jonah Bonnet (known as Pompo), the earlier arrest of activist Micah Musa (aka MC Dangata), and what the signatories describe as an “informal invitation” extended to constitutional lawyer Dr. Kajit John Paul by the DSS on June 23, 2026. “Citizens do not become criminals simply because they hold opinions that differ from those of government officials,” the statement reads, framing the right to criticize public officials as a constitutional pillar that security agencies have begun treating as a threat.
The coalition’s central argument rests on a direct comparison between the apparent speed of state action against unarmed critics and the state’s failure to apprehend those behind a string of deadly attacks. The statement specifically cites the killing of nine people, including children, in Ungwan Magaji Chawai, noting that the perpetrators remain at large while their victims’ families continue to wait for justice. “Why are security agencies able to rapidly mobilize personnel against unarmed citizens, activists, and critics, yet many of the terrorists, bandits, and killers responsible for atrocities across our communities continue to evade arrest?” the signatories ask in the statement.
The statement draws an explicit historical line back to the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, whose tenure the coalition characterizes as marked by indiscriminate arrests, prolonged detentions, and a shrinking of civic space — wounds the signatories say have not fully healed in Kaduna’s democratic culture. By invoking that period, the coalition appears to be issuing a direct warning to the current administration of Governor Uba Sani, whose public commitments to inclusion, dialogue, and reconciliation the statement acknowledges but says must now translate into demonstrable action rather than rhetoric. “The true strength of any democratic government is measured not by how it treats supporters, but by how it treats critics,” the statement states.
The coalition is demanding transparency around the recent arrests and the DSS invitation extended to Dr. Kajit John Paul, alongside respect for due process and constitutional safeguards for those affected. It is calling on security agencies to redirect their intelligence and operational capacity toward identifying and prosecuting those responsible for terrorism, kidnapping, and banditry in the state, rather than what the signatories describe as politically sensitive pursuits of government critics.
The statement stops short of alleging direct political interference but warns against security institutions being perceived as “instruments for settling political scores,” urging that public agencies remain “neutral, professional, and guided solely by the Constitution and the rule of law.”
