A human rights advocacy group, the Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), has appealed to world powers to deny former Kaduna state Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, entry into their countries, describing him as a “merchant of hate” whose actions and utterances threaten peace and humanity.
In an open letter addressed to the Ambassadors and High Commissioners of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, China, other nations represented in Nigeria, and to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, TAN’s National Coordinator, Comrade Michael Briggs, said the time had come for the international community to act decisively.
Briggs accused El-Rufai of “stoking the fire of ethnic and religious hatred” through recent comments which, he alleged, sought to dismiss and dehumanize the people of Southern Kaduna.
“On live television, he looked into the eyes of a nation and began the process of wiping a people off the map,” Briggs wrote. “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.”
The group further recalled El-Rufai’s controversial remark during the 2023 general elections when he allegedly threatened to put international election observers “in body bags,” saying such rhetoric revealed a man “who believes he is above all laws, both human and divine.”
Under El-Rufai’s watch as governor, TAN alleged, Kaduna was “drowned in blood,” with communities in Southern Kaduna facing repeated attacks and massacres, while the government looked away. The letter also referenced the military crackdown on members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (Shia Muslims) in Zaria, which resulted in hundreds of deaths, accusing the former governor of condoning atrocities against his own citizens.
Warning against the possibility of El-Rufai seeking sanctuary abroad, Briggs urged foreign governments to take preventive action:
“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. 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.”
TAN therefore demanded that El-Rufai be declared persona non grata across the world, barred from entering or residing in foreign countries, and denied access to financial institutions abroad.
The group argued that such an action would serve as a deterrent to leaders who enable violence and use hate speech to deepen divisions in society.
“Your action now is not just about border control; it is a powerful message. It tells the people of Southern Kaduna that they are seen. It tells the victims of his past violence that they are not forgotten. And most importantly, it tells Nasir El-Rufai and others like him that the world will no longer be a safe haven for their kind,” the letter concluded.