ADC Blasts Kaduna Police Over Handling of Violent Attack on Party’s Inauguration

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Kaduna State Police Command over its handling of the violent disruption of the party’s inauguration in Kaduna, where members were allegedly attacked by armed thugs.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the venue of the event had been duly booked and that the police should have reassured Nigerians that justice would be served.

“Instead, what we read was a troubling attempt to criminalise legitimate political activity, prejudge individuals, and cast the opposition in the light of lawlessness,” Abdullahi said.

He faulted the police for linking the ADC to “political gangsters” while at the same time announcing an investigation into the incident.

“Investigations should establish facts before conclusions are drawn. When police act as judge and jury, it undermines both justice and democracy,” he stressed.

The ADC spokesman also rejected the police claim that the party’s gathering was “unauthorised,” noting that in a democracy, the right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed by the Constitution, not subject to the approval of a state police command.

“A police notification is a matter of procedure and courtesy, not a license to exercise a constitutional right,” Abdullahi explained.

He further described the blanket suspension of “unauthorised gatherings” as announced by the Kaduna Police Command as “a clear overreach,” adding:

“Security agencies are to protect lawful assemblies, not proscribe them. To arrogate to themselves the power to decide which political meetings may hold is to hand the police veto authority over democracy itself.”

The ADC therefore rejected all attempts by the Kaduna Police Command to link the party to acts of violence, insisting it “neither organised nor condones such.”

“Our party remains committed to peaceful, issue-based politics,” Abdullahi said, calling on the police to review its statement, carry out a transparent investigation, and explain why its officers were absent when ADC members were attacked.