Hate Speech: Group Urges US, UK to Declare El-Rufai Persona Non Grata

The Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), a human rights advocacy organization, has petitioned the United Nations and leading world powers to designate former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, as a global persona non grata.

In an open letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General as well as ambassadors and high commissioners of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, China, and other foreign missions in Nigeria, TAN’s National Coordinator, Comrade Michael Briggs, urged the international community to deny El-Rufai entry into their countries. He described the former governor and ex-FCT minister as a “merchant of hate” whose comments and actions endanger peace and humanity.

Briggs accused El-Rufai of fueling ethnic and religious divisions, particularly targeting the people of Southern Kaduna, whom he alleged the former governor sought to dehumanize through recent remarks. He further recalled El-Rufai’s controversial threat during the 2023 elections to put foreign election observers “in body bags,” describing it as proof of a man who “believes himself above all laws, human and divine.”

The group alleged that under El-Rufai’s administration, Kaduna State witnessed incessant violence, with Southern Kaduna communities facing repeated attacks, while the government failed to intervene. It also pointed to the deadly crackdown on Shia Muslims in Zaria, accusing him of allowing atrocities against citizens.

Warning foreign governments against granting El-Rufai a safe haven, Briggs insisted that issuing him visas or offering him refuge would be a grave mistake. “We cannot allow a man who openly threatens genocide against his people to enjoy sanctuary abroad,” he wrote.

TAN called for El-Rufai to be denied global entry, barred from accessing foreign financial systems, and effectively isolated on the international stage. The group argued that such measures would send a strong signal to leaders who incite violence and spread hate speech, while assuring victims that their plight is not ignored.

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“Your action today goes beyond border control; it is a message of justice. It tells the people of Southern Kaduna that they are not invisible, and it warns El-Rufai and others like him that the world will no longer provide safe refuge for hate and impunity,” the letter concluded.