The Youth Wing of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has issued a scathing rebuke of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, accusing him of political manipulation, complicity in insecurity, and attempts to destabilize the country. Speaking at a press conference held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Kaduna, the youths distanced themselves from El-Rufai and called for his immediate arrest and prosecution, along with his son, Bello El-Rufai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing journalists, National Youth Leader of the Forum, Comrade Nasir Jagaba, condemned El-Rufai\u2019s recent public comments describing Nigeria\u2019s situation as worse than at any point since 1914 and calling for a coalition to \u201ctake the country back on track.\u201d The group labeled the remarks as part of a longstanding pattern of incitement and political opportunism.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
El-Rufai, who once admitted to negotiating with bandits and offering them state funds, cannot now feign innocence,\u201d Jagaba said. \u201cThese acts empowered killers and betrayed the people of Kaduna. His current rhetoric is nothing but another attempt to return to relevance through blood and chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The MBF Youth Wing expressed particular outrage over what it called the politicization of recent attacks in Benue and Plateau States, describing them as \u201cstrategic, calculated, and politically motivated.\u201d The group alleged that El-Rufai and his political allies benefit from these violent episodes, which continue to ravage communities across the Middle Belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contrasting El-Rufai\u2019s statements, the youth leaders praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what they described as \u201ctangible interventions\u201d in the North and Middle Belt regions, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Infrastructure: Major road projects such as Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano, Birnin Gwari-Kaduna, and Jere-Kafanchan highways.Agriculture: Rehabilitation of three dams in Kano to support food security in Kaduna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Education & Healthcare: Establishment of a Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, a teaching hospital in Manchok, and the conversion of Patrick Yakowa Hospital to a Federal Medical Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Security: Reduced banditry due to improved security infrastructure and the creation of new military commands in Southern Kaduna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inclusion: Appointments of 12 ministers from the Northwest, creation of the North West Development Commission, and support for local security outfits.\u201cThese are not mere political speeches,\u201d Jagaba said, \u201cbut concrete achievements that show commitment to peace and development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Forum demanded the arrest and prosecution of Nasir El-Rufai and his son, Bello El-Rufai, citing a controversial deleted tweet by the younger El-Rufai which they claim foretold a spike in violence in Southern Kaduna, Benue, and Plateau states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat tweet was not a joke; it was a warning. And shortly after, the killings intensified,\u201d Jagaba alleged. \u201cWe understand the strategy. We will not be silent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The press conference included a graphic recounting of atrocities faced by communities in the Middle Belt\u2014killings, displacement, and alleged impunity for attackers\u2014accusing El-Rufai of failing to protect vulnerable populations and instead weaponizing ethnic divisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group also decried the diversion of a $350 million World Bank loan under El-Rufai\u2019s administration, intended for development in Southern Kaduna, as another example of systemic marginalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Forum concluded with a stern message to individuals in the Middle Belt considering alliances with El-Rufai. \u201cHe is a master of deception,\u201d said Jagaba. \u201cHe wears the mask of friendship while plotting your downfall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calling on President Tinubu to act decisively, the Forum emphasized that the issue at hand was not political rivalry, but national survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is no longer about politics. It is about justice. It is about the sanctity of life. It is about the soul of our nation,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Youth Wing of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has issued a scathing rebuke of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, accusing him of political manipulation, complicity in insecurity, and attempts to destabilize the country. Speaking at a press conference held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Kaduna, the youths distanced themselves from El-Rufai and called for his immediate arrest and prosecution, along with his son, Bello El-Rufai. Addressing journalists, National Youth Leader of the Forum, Comrade Nasir Jagaba, condemned El-Rufai\u2019s recent public comments describing Nigeria\u2019s situation as worse than at any point since 1914 and calling for a coalition to \u201ctake the country back on track.\u201d The group labeled the remarks as part of a longstanding pattern of incitement and political opportunism.\u201c El-Rufai, who once admitted to negotiating with bandits and offering them state funds, cannot now feign innocence,\u201d Jagaba said. \u201cThese acts empowered killers and betrayed the people of Kaduna. His current rhetoric is nothing but another attempt to return to relevance through blood and chaos.\u201d The MBF Youth Wing expressed particular outrage over what it called the politicization of recent attacks in Benue and Plateau States, describing them as \u201cstrategic, calculated, and politically motivated.\u201d The group alleged that El-Rufai and his political allies benefit from these violent episodes, which continue to ravage communities across the Middle Belt. Contrasting El-Rufai\u2019s statements, the youth leaders praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what they described as \u201ctangible interventions\u201d in the North and Middle Belt regions, including: Infrastructure: Major road projects such as Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano, Birnin Gwari-Kaduna, and Jere-Kafanchan highways.Agriculture: Rehabilitation of three dams in Kano to support food security in Kaduna. Education & Healthcare: Establishment of a Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, a teaching hospital in Manchok, and the conversion of Patrick Yakowa Hospital to a Federal Medical Centre. Security: Reduced banditry due to improved security infrastructure and the creation of new military commands in Southern Kaduna. Inclusion: Appointments of 12 ministers from the Northwest, creation of the North West Development Commission, and support for local security outfits.\u201cThese are not mere political speeches,\u201d Jagaba said, \u201cbut concrete achievements that show commitment to peace and development.\u201d The Forum demanded the arrest and prosecution of Nasir El-Rufai and his son, Bello El-Rufai, citing a controversial deleted tweet by the younger El-Rufai which they claim foretold a spike in violence in Southern Kaduna, Benue, and Plateau states. \u201cThat tweet was not a joke; it was a warning. And shortly after, the killings intensified,\u201d Jagaba alleged. \u201cWe understand the strategy. We will not be silent.\u201d The press conference included a graphic recounting of atrocities faced by communities in the Middle Belt\u2014killings, displacement, and alleged impunity for attackers\u2014accusing El-Rufai of failing to protect vulnerable populations and instead weaponizing ethnic divisions. The group also decried the diversion of a $350 million World Bank loan under El-Rufai\u2019s administration, intended for development in Southern Kaduna, as another example of systemic marginalization. The Forum concluded with a stern message to individuals in the Middle Belt considering alliances with El-Rufai. \u201cHe is a master of deception,\u201d said Jagaba. \u201cHe wears the mask of friendship while plotting your downfall.\u201d Calling on President Tinubu to act decisively, the Forum emphasized that the issue at hand was not political rivalry, but national survival. \u201cThis is no longer about politics. It is about justice. It is about the sanctity of life. It is about the soul of our nation,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fctnewsgazette.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fctnewsgazette.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fctnewsgazette.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fctnewsgazette.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fctnewsgazette.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25557"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fctnewsgazette.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25558,"href":"https:\/\/fctnewsgazette.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25557\/revisions\/25558"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fctnewsgazette.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fctnewsgazette.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fctnewsgazette.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fctnewsgazette.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}