The Kaduna State Government has responded to a statement issued by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) on August 17, 2024, describing it as “unfounded, misleading, and an imagination of the authors’falsehood.”
The Hon. Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Sule Shu’aibu SAN, in a signed media statement, urged the public to regard MURIC’s claims as attention-seeking misinformation.
Giving further clarification, Shuaibu ( SAN) revealed that the Kaduna State Government did not engage Femi Falana SAN or any other legal practitioner to prosecute former Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai or his associates, contrary to MURIC’s claims.
The statement also declared that MURIC failed to provide a charge number or the name of the court where the trial is allegedly ongoing. Instead, the case in question is a fundamental rights enforcement matter initiated by El-Rufai himself, with Kaduna State as a respondent alongside the House of Assembly.
The government expressed disappointment that MURIC has resorted to “tribal inclinations and discrimination,” deviating from its original aim of advocating for Muslim rights in Nigeria.
The statement accused MURIC of being hijacked by individuals with self-serving interests, turning the organization into a “regional and ethnic biased platform.”
The government emphasized that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria prohibits discrimination based on gender, religion, tribe, or region. It therefore found it ironic that MURIC criticized the current government for hiring a Yoruba lawyer from the Southwest while failing to do so during El-Rufai’s tenure.
