A human rights advocacy group, the Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), has urged world powers and international institutions to place a travel ban on former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, citing what it described as his “divisive utterances” and “troubling record in office.”
In an open letter addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General, Ambassadors, and High Commissioners of countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and China, TAN alleged that El-Rufai has consistently “stoked the fire of ethnic and religious hatred,” particularly against communities in Southern Kaduna.
Controversial Comments
TAN’s national coordinator, Comrade Michael Briggs, condemned El-Rufai’s recent appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where the former governor claimed that the people of Southern Kaduna represent less than 25 per cent of the state’s population.
According to Briggs, such rhetoric is dangerous:
“On live television, he looked into the eyes of a nation and began the process of wiping a people off the map.
He is telling his followers that these people do not count, that they are not enough to matter. When you believe a people do not matter, it becomes easy to look away when they are slaughtered.”
A History of Controversy
TAN also revisited El-Rufai’s 2019 election remark, when he allegedly threatened that foreign election observers who interfered in Nigeria’s polls would “go back in body bags.”
The group said such statements reveal a mindset of impunity and disregard for international norms.
The network accused El-Rufai of presiding over a state that “drowned in blood” during his tenure, pointing to repeated violent attacks on Southern Kaduna communities.
It further alleged that his administration showed indifference to the plight of victims.
TAN’s letter also cited the 2015 military crackdown in Zaria against members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), which left hundreds dead, accusing the then-governor of condoning state atrocities.
In its appeal, TAN urged foreign governments to deny El-Rufai entry visas, block him from accessing financial institutions abroad, and declare him persona non grata.
“We cannot allow a man who threatens genocide on his own people to then board a plane and find a safe haven in your countries,” Briggs wrote.
“He does not deserve your visa. He does not deserve your protection.
He does not deserve a single moment of peace while the ghosts of those he has wronged still cry out for justice.”
The group stressed that such international action would send a powerful message of solidarity to the victims of violence in Southern Kaduna and beyond, while also serving as a deterrent to leaders who may exploit ethnic or religious divides for political gain.
“Your action now is not just about border control. It is about telling Southern Kaduna they are seen, telling the victims they are remembered, and telling El-Rufai and others like him that the world will no longer provide safe havens for their kind,” the letter concluded.
The call comes amid renewed debates over accountability and justice for communities affected by decades of violence in Southern Kaduna, where repeated attacks have claimed thousands of lives.