Army warns against being dragged into Kaduna politics

The Nigerian army has denied involvement in the demolition of a house belonging to Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi on the orders of Kaduna State Governor Nasir Elrufai.

Hunkuyi’s home was reduced to rubble on Tuesday, February 20, 2018, by the Kaduna State government.

Hours before, Hunkuyi sat at a meeting in that same property where the decision to suspend Elrufai by a faction of the APC in Kaduna State, was arrived at.

The demolition of the property which doubles as Hunkuyi’s home and office, fueled insinuations that it was a case of vendetta by Elrufai.

Armored tanks

Through his twitter account, Hunkuyi had alleged that soldiers riding in armored tanks had accompanied the Governor to the property for the demolition job.

“Mallam Elrufai personally drove a bulldozer accompanied by armored tanks to destroy my house at 11B Sambo Road. This is a new low and fighting dirty with such low level of pettiness is indeed unprecedented in Kaduna State”, Hunkuyi who represents Kaduna North in the senate, shared on Twitter.

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Pulse can report that Elrufai was nowhere near Kaduna when the property was demolished. The Governor was attending a summit in Adamawa at the time of the demolition.

Mischief

However, in a statement sent to Pulse,Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 1 Mechanised Division, Col. Muhammad Dole, warned against dragging the army into politics.

“The attention of the 1 Division Nigerian Army has been drawn to a Twitter message, a report in mass and social media of alleged involvement of military personnel in the demolition of a politician’s property by the

“This is not true. No soldier was involved in the exercise. The allegation and the attempt to drag the Nigerian Army into the issue of demolition is yet another baseless and unsubstantiated claim to malign the hardworking, loyal and professional officers and soldiers of 1 Division Nigerian Army and discredit them.

“Therefore this claim remains the highest mischief and misleading and it is viewed as another calculated attempt to distract our troops from performing their professional duties. Therefore, the public should disregard such false allegation.

“The troops of 1 Division Nigerian Army will continue to remain apolitical and non-partisan in the discharge of their constitutional roles. Presently our troops are dutifully engaged in EXERCISE AYEM AKPATUMA (CAT RACE) in Niger and Kaduna States, combating kidnappings, cattle rustling, armed banditry and terrorism”, the statement read.

The Kaduna State government said Hunkuyi’s house situated on 11B Sambo Close“was removed for flagrant violations of land use and non-payment of ground rent since 2010”.