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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

ACF, Police Trade Words Over Kaduna Secretariat as NEC Meeting Sparks Tension

From The Punch · (6m ago) English Critical tone

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) accused the Nigeria Police of sealing its Kaduna headquarters ahead of a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
  • The Kaduna State Police Command denied sealing the office, stating officers were deployed to prevent potential clashes between rival ACF factions.
  • The ACF insists its meetings are constitutionally convened by the Chairman and that the police action lacks legal basis.

Tensions flared in Kaduna as the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Nigeria Police Force engaged in a public dispute over the alleged sealing of the ACF's headquarters. The ACF, a prominent socio-cultural organization, claims its secretariat was illegally shut down by police, preventing its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting. The forum vehemently denies any security threat, asserting that its meetings are convened in accordance with its constitution and that the police action is unwarranted and lacks legal justification.

The ACF is unaware of any court order against it nor any directive curtailing its functions.

— Prof. Tukur Muhammad-BabaNational Publicity Secretary of the ACF, stating the forum's lack of knowledge about any legal restrictions on its operations.

The Kaduna State Police Command, however, presented a different narrative. According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansur Hassan, officers were deployed to the ACF premises not to seal it, but to maintain law and order. The police cited intelligence and notifications from two rival factions within the ACF, both planning to hold meetings simultaneously at the same venue. This situation, the police explained, necessitated their presence to prevent a potential breakdown of law and order.

The ACF stressed that the powers of the BoT chairman were limited to those outlined in its constitution and did not extend to operational matters.

— ACF StatementThe forum clarifying the constitutional limits of the Board of Trustees chairman's authority.

The ACF has called for the intervention of the Inspector-General of Police, urging the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police to unseal the secretariat. The forum maintains that its Chairman, Mamman Osuman, constitutionally convened the NEC and National Working Committee meetings, and that the Board of Trustees Chairman lacks the authority to cancel statutory meetings. From our perspective in Kaduna, this clash highlights the delicate internal dynamics within the ACF and the challenges faced by security agencies in navigating such disputes. The situation underscores the importance of clear internal governance and communication within organizations like the ACF, especially when such disputes spill over into public view and involve law enforcement.

They want to hold meetings at the same time and venue. As a law enforcement agency, we cannot allow a

— DSP Mansur HassanPolice Public Relations Officer in Kaduna State, explaining the reason for police deployment to the ACF premises.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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