2027: Malami’s aide condemns demolition of ADC support group’s office

A media aide to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has condemned the demolition of the headquarters of the Malami Pressure Group (MPG) in Birnin Kebbi, describing the action as an assault on democratic freedoms and political association. Mohammed Bello Doka, Special Assistant on Media to Malami, alleged that a suspected agency of the Kebbi State Government carried out the demolition on October 30, 2026, a day before the scheduled inauguration of the facility.

In a statement dated November 1, Doka said the property belonged to Malami, who had donated it to the MPG, an ADC-affiliated youth support organisation, to serve as its headquarters ahead of the 2027 general elections. He said the facility was demolished without prior communication, formal notice or warning, before it could officially commence operations.

Doka described the incident as unacceptable in a constitutional democracy, arguing that it raised concerns about citizens’ rights to own property, associate freely, express political opinions and participate in the democratic process. He questioned the authority behind the demolition, demanding to know which government agency carried out the operation, whether a formal notice was served on the property owner and whether a court order or established administrative procedure authorised the action.

He urged the Kebbi State Government to provide a clear explanation of the circumstances surrounding the demolition. Citing the 1999 Constitution, Doka said Sections 39 and 40 guarantee freedom of expression and association, while Sections 43 and 44 provide for property ownership and protection against compulsory acquisition except in accordance with the law.

He acknowledged that governments had the authority to enforce planning regulations and building standards but insisted that such powers must be exercised transparently and in accordance with due process. According to him, the timing of the demolition, with the 2027 general elections approaching, raised concerns about the political environment in which opposition parties and their supporters were expected to operate.

He argued that democracy required political competition, freedom of association and protection of dissent, adding that citizens should be able to establish political offices and organise meetings without fear of arbitrary interference. Doka also questioned the state’s governance priorities, drawing attention to poverty, malnutrition, food insecurity and insecurity confronting residents of Kebbi.

Citing the National Bureau of Statistics’ 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index, he said Kebbi recorded a poverty incidence of 82.2 per cent, compared with the national average of 63 per cent. He further cited the report’s estimate that more than 95 per cent of children under five in the state were multidimensionally poor, representing approximately 820,000 children.

On malnutrition, Doka referenced a Premium Times investigation published on January 23, 2026, which, according to him, reported that 608 severely malnourished children died between January and September 2025 across 21 treatment centres in five local government areas. He said the figures underscored the need for urgent government attention to nutrition programmes and access to healthcare.

Doka also cited the October 2026 Cadre Harmonisé food-security assessment, which projected that 969,245 people in Kebbi would face crisis-level food insecurity between October and December 2026, with the figure expected to rise to 1,196,830 during the June-August 2027 lean season. On insecurity, he referenced a January 2026 assessment by the European Union Agency for Asylum, drawing on data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, which documented 70 security incidents and 156 associated fatalities in Kebbi between January 2024 and August 2025.

He also referred to attacks and reprisals in Besse and Shanga local government areas in October 2026, saying conflicting media reports put the combined death toll at between 10 and 12. Doka, however, clarified that he was not suggesting that the demolition caused the state’s socioeconomic challenges but said the incident raised broader questions about governance priorities, institutional accountability and the protection of citizens’ rights.

He also invoked the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, saying it recognised freedom of expression, association and property rights as essential components of democratic governance. The media aide called on the Kebbi State Government to identify the agency responsible for the demolition, disclose the legal authority for the operation and make relevant notices, enforcement documents or court orders available for public scrutiny.

He further urged the Nigeria Police Force, the National Human Rights Commission and other relevant authorities to examine any formal complaints and ensure that the rights of those affected were protected. Doka said the matter went beyond M