When We Reported That They Killed 35 People In One Day, El-Rufai Threatened To Arrest us-Asake

According to an interview on the Sun on Saturday, January 24, 2026, Dr. Jonathan Asake, former President of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU), has shared a detailed account of how he mobilized media coverage to document attacks and displacement in Southern Kaduna despite facing government intimidation.

Dr. Asake recounted a series of violent incidents that occurred in July 2020, beginning with an attack in Gwenaorogo community within a local government area where 17 people were killed on July 13th. After reporting this initial attack, he said the violence escalated as attackers moved to other communities, killing 35 people in a single day and displacing over 5,000 residents.

The former SOKAPU leader revealed that when he and his organization reported these incidents, the Kaduna State government under then-Governor Nasir El-Rufai threatened to arrest them. Rather than backing down, Dr. Asake said he took proactive measures to ensure the situation received public attention.

Upon receiving information about the imminent arrest threat, he immediately contacted 21 media organizations and arranged transportation for them. By 7 o’clock the following morning, journalists had assembled, and despite the personal risk, Dr. Asake led them to the affected areas.

He described arriving at a displacement camp where they encountered over 5,000 people who had fled their communities due to the violence. The media presence, he implied, served as protection and helped bring national attention to the crisis facing Southern Kaduna communities at the time.

According to Jonathan Asake, “They went into other communities and they killed 35 people in one day and displaced over 5,000. So when we reported, the government under El-rufai threatened to arrest us. When I got the hint, I quickly called 21 media houses and prepared a bus. As early as 7 o’clock, they had assembled, and I took the risk and we went to the place where the people were.”

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