The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has given security agencies 24 hours to secure the release of two Department of State Services (DSS) personnel reportedly abducted in Sokoto, following an alleged attack on the party’s governorship candidate, Alhaji Munir Dan Iya.
The party also demanded the immediate arrest of operatives of the Sokoto Marshals allegedly responsible for the incident, warning that failure to take decisive action could compel its leadership to adopt further lawful measures to protect its members.
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) made the demands following Saturday’s reported attack on Dan Iya and his convoy along Airport Road, Sokoto, as he returned to the state capital after accompanying former Governor and Senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, from the airport.
According to the council, several vehicles in the candidate’s convoy were vandalised, including his personal sports utility vehicle, while two DSS officers attached to him were reportedly taken away by the alleged attackers.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the campaign council said the incident had raised serious concerns about the safety of opposition politicians and security personnel assigned to protect them.
The council further alleged that operatives of the state security outfit had mounted positions at historic entry gates into Sokoto metropolis since the incident, harassing motorists and targeting vehicles displaying ADC posters, insignia and other party symbols.
Dan Iya was said to have formally reported the attack to the Sokoto State Commissioner of Police.
Describing the development as a threat to democratic participation, the ADC accused the state security outfit of being deployed against political opponents rather than performing its public security responsibilities.
“This is not governance. It is banditry in uniform, and it must not be tolerated in a democracy,” Ologbondiyan said.
The council alleged that the Sokoto incident was part of a wider pattern of intimidation against ADC members and opposition figures, citing similar incidents reportedly recorded in Kaduna and other states in recent weeks.
It argued that the alleged harassment of opposition members violated constitutional guarantees of freedom of movement, association and peaceful political participation.
The ADC also questioned the conduct of a security organisation established and funded with public resources, warning against the use of state-backed security structures for partisan political purposes.
It called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Sokoto Commissioner of Police and relevant security and intelligence agencies to investigate the attack, locate and release the two DSS personnel, protect the governorship candidate and bring those responsible to justice.
The council warned that Nigeria could not afford a situation in which publicly funded security organisations became instruments of political intimidation, insisting that opposition parties must be allowed to participate freely in the democratic process.
It maintained that although the ADC remained committed to peaceful political engagement and the rule of law, it would pursue all legitimate means to protect its candidates, members and political rights.
