Breakdown Of How Nigerian Government Spends N3.5m Monthly On El-Zakzaky’s Feeding – El-Rufai

El-Rufai Corroborates Lai Mohammed’s Statement On N3.5M Monthly Spending On El-Zazaky

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has explained how the Nigerian government spends about N3.5 million on a monthly basis to feed the detained Shiites Leader ,Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky since December 2015.

Recall Nigeria’s information minister Lai Mohammed, in a video that went viral, claimed that the government spends N3.5m monthly on El-Zakzaky’s feeding.

However, El-Rufai who hosted the management of a media outfit in Kaduna said, Mohammed’s claim was right but lacked details on how the money was being spent.

According to the Kaduna state governor, the N3.5 million was not on the feeding of the Shiite leader alone but on everything related to his protective custody.

“The N3.5 million monthly feeding on El-Zakzaky is not only about his food, but other expenses on security men attached to him. The security men are permanently stationed with him, they surrounded where he is kept,” El-Rufai said.

He said El-Zakzaky is guarded by a detachment of soldiers and DSS operatives who live in the place he is being kept is financed by the government.

According to El-rufai, Shiites is an illegal group that is not recognized by the Nigerian government.

“He is in custody because he is facing murder charge which is not bailable, among other charges.

“As a government, we decided to proscribe Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) of which El-Zakzaky is the president because it is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

“So any procession in the name of IMN is illegal, as far as Kaduna State government is concerned.”

The Shiite leader has been in detention since December 2015. His alleged offences took place during the December 2015 clash between the IMN and a convoy of Nigeria’s army chief, Tukur Buratai.

He was charged with murder in May 2018, despite an earlier court ruling in December 2016 granting him bail. The Nigeria government refused and kept him detention.

In the same vein, the state high court on November 7, 2018 refused to grant El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenah, bail.