The Kaduna State factional chapter of African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticised the Kaduna State Police Command for its handling of a violent attack on the party’s event this past weekend.
The party accused the police of trying to “criminalise legitimate political activity” after armed thugs disrupted the ADC’s meeting in Kaduna, where members had gathered for an inauguration.
In a statement released by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party expressed deep disappointment with the official police response. Instead of reassurance, the ADC said it found a “troubling attempt to criminalise legitimate political activity, pre-judge individuals, and cast the opposition in the light of lawlessness.”
The party’s anger focused on a press release issued by the Kaduna police, which described the ADC’s gathering as “unauthorized.”
The ADC firmly rejected this, stating that the right to assemble peacefully is guaranteed by the constitution and is not a privilege granted by the police. “A Police notification is a matter of procedure and often courtesy, not a license to exercise a right that has been granted by the constitution. To suggest otherwise is to turn citizens’ freedoms into privileges at the mercy of the state”, the statement read.
The ADC also challenged the police’s claim that it had linked the party to “political gangsters” even while announcing an investigation was underway.
The party called this a contradiction, saying, “Investigations should establish facts before conclusions are drawn; when police act as judge and jury, it undermines both justice and democracy.”
Furthermore, the party condemned a police warning that hotels and event centres would be “held liable” if they host political meetings without approval, calling the threat “ludicrous.” They argued it intimidates businesses and denies opposition parties access to spaces for lawful activities. The ADC also rejected the police command’s blanket suspension of “unauthorized gatherings,” calling it a “clear overreach” of their authority.
“Security agencies are to protect lawful assemblies, not proscribe them,” the statement insisted. “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 firmly denied any role in the violence, stating they “neither organized nor condone” it. The party is demanding the police command revisit its statement, conduct a transparent investigation, and explain why its officers allegedly failed to protect ADC members when the attack happened.
“Democracy is not a crime. Selective policing is. Still, we in the ADC will not be intimidated into silence.” The party also called on citizens to reject what it sees as growing acts of intimidation by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against opposition groups. The Kaduna State Police Command has not yet publicly responded to these latest allegations.
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