Police Maintain Presence at ACF Headquarters Amid Lingering Leadership Crisis

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The headquarters of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Kaduna remained under heavy police watch yesterday as the lingering leadership crisis rocking the apex northern socio-political body showed no sign of easing.
When THISDAY visited the ACF headquarters, the premises were heavily guarded by three truckloads of stern-looking operatives of the Nigeria Police Force stationed within and around the facility.

The police had moved into the premises on Tuesday following separate notices from two factions within the ACF leadership, each indicating plans to hold parallel National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings at the same venue and at the same time.
Spokesman for the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Mansir Hassan, said the deployment was strictly a preventive measure aimed at maintaining peace and public order.

He explained that the police did not seal off the ACF headquarters as speculated in some quarters, but only took proactive steps based on intelligence reports available to the command.
 “We have not sealed the ACF headquarters. What we did was the deployment of our personnel to the place to prevent breakdown of law and order,” the police spokesman said.

He explained that intelligence reports indicated that the parallel meetings planned by the two factions could degenerate into a confrontation that could threaten the peace in Kaduna.
The police action followed the deepening internal crisis within the ACF, which escalated after the National Executive Committee (NEC) announced the suspension of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Bashir M. Dalhatu, over allegations bordering on financial misconduct and constitutional breaches.

The NEC, which held its meeting at the National Teachers Institute after being denied access to the secretariat, also directed a forensic audit of the forum’s finances and reaffirmed its confidence in the leadership of the National Working Committee.

But in a countermove, Dalhatu dismissed the allegations and announced that the positions of some key officials, including the Secretary-General, Murtala Aliyu, had become vacant upon the expiration of their tenure.

The BoT chairman also insisted that there was no leadership crisis within the forum, maintaining that all funds under the ACF Endowment Programme remained intact and properly secured.

The continued police presence at the secretariat has, however, underscored the growing tension within the ACF, as both factions remained locked in a dispute over leadership succession, tenure interpretation, and constitutional authority.