Nigeria Elections: ‘El-Rufai To Be Prosecuted For Threatening To Kill Foreigners’

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, has hinted on the possible prosecution of the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over his “body bag” threat against foreigners who interfere with Nigeria’s elections.

Falana stated that El-Rufai would be prosecuted at the expiration of his tenure as governor.

Speaking at the secretariat of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, during a memorial event in honour of Beko Ransome-Kuti, on Tuesday, the activist lawyer also urged the international communities to impose a visa ban on El-Rufai.

The activist lawyer also disclosed that the governor’s remark was a prove that the general elections would be a do-or-die affair.

He said: “Last week, Mr. Nasiru El Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State threatened that foreign election observers and monitors who interfere in the 2019 general elections would return to their countries in body bags because nobody will come to Nigeria and tell us how to run out country.

“The threat to attack and kill foreign election observers in Nigeria constitutes an infraction of the Electoral Act, 2010 and the Penal Code but because Governor El Rufai currently enjoys immunity his trial and prosecution for the offence will have to await the end of his tenure.

“The western countries that have threatened to place travel restrictions on members of the ruling class who incite violence or interfere in the electoral process should not hesitate to make an example of the governor without any further delay.

“The Special Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court who has also warned against any form of electoral violence in the country is urged to hold Governor El Rufai responsible if foreign observers and monitors are killed during the 2019 general election.

“Notwithstanding the recklessness of the threat to attack foreign election observers, Governor El Rufai’s has confirmed that the 2019 general election is going to be a do or die affair (apologies to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo) for the leading factions of the ruling class.

“Since leading politicians have recruited and armed thugs the general elections will be characterised by violence in many parts of the country. Even if some of the thugs are arrested and are arraigned in the courts, the various attorneys-general would file nolle prosequi to terminate the criminal cases as the managers of the neocolonial state cannot afford to prosecute their armed agents.

“Therefore, since the children of the sponsors of violence are in expensive schools at home and abroad we urge the masses of our people not to allow their own children to be used as cannon fodders during the battle for the control of political power and economic resources of the country by the ruling class.

“It is indubitably clear that both APC and PDP are resolutely committed to the status quo which permits the manipulation of election results.

“Hence, both parties have rejected the reform of the electoral system. But it is high time democratic forces mounted sufficient pressure on the political class to implement the recommendations of the electoral reform panels.”