Youth groups in Kaduna State on Wednesday staged protests demanding the release of former governor Nasir El-Rufai, following the denial of his bail after arrest by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The protesters, drawn from various communities, converged at strategic locations across Kaduna metropolis and parts of Southern Kaduna.
They carried placards bearing messages such as “Free El-Rufai Now,” “Justice for Our Leader,” and “Kaduna Demands Governance, not Revenge,” while chanting solidarity songs.
Participants included women, youths, and community leaders who described the demonstration as peaceful and aimed at pressing for justice.
Speaking during the protest, Arewa Youth Movement leader Ibrahim Modibbo Sanusi described the continued detention as unjust and politically motivated.
“We are here to register our displeasure over the continued detention of our leader,” he said, calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
Sanusi warned that failure by authorities to address their demands could trigger further lawful mass actions, including a proposed one-million-man march in Abuja.
Southern Kaduna youths also staged solidarity protests in Kafanchan, the headquarters of Jema’a Local Government Area.
Organisers described the actions as peaceful and aimed at showing support for the former governor.
In Kaduna metropolis, protesters gathered along the Western Bypass, a major economic corridor, temporarily disrupting traffic.
Security personnel were deployed to monitor the situation and prevent any breakdown of law and order.
Authorities have yet to issue an official response to the protest demands.
