Get Guardian on GoogleThe leadership crisis rocking the Northern socio-cultural group,Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has deepened following allegations that armed individuals, invaded its national secretariat in Kaduna and carted away valuables worth millions of naira.
The Chairman of the Forum, Maman Mike Osuman, (SAN,) made the allegation in a petition to Governor Uba Sani, accusing two individuals, who are officials of the Forum of forcibly entering the organisation’s headquarters at No. 11A Sokoto Road, Kaduna.
The names of those alleged to have gained entrance into the ACF secretariat, forcefully are Minor Mustapha and Bukar Zarma.
In the petition dated November 9, 2026, and also copied to the Inspector-General of Police, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the state, Osuman alleged that the individuals broke into offices, changed the locks and removed valuables without the consent or knowledge of the Forum’s leadership.
He further alleged that the operation was carried out without a search warrant.
According to the petition, the alleged invasion involved the breaking of gates and office doors, as well as the replacement of locks and removal of valuables assets and properties.
Osuman described the incident as an attack on the institutional integrity of the Forum and called on Governor Uba Sani to intervene to prevent further escalation.
“An invasion of this nature not only violates the sanctity of our corporate headquarters but is also a direct assault on the dignity of the entire Northern Region,” he said.
The Chairman said the national secretariat represented the collective heritage of Northern Nigeria, adding that its protection was important to preserving the dignity and integrity of the organisation.
He urged the Governor to use his good offices to ensure that the rule of law prevailed and that the Forum was protected from actions capable of undermining its stability.
Meanwhile, the latest development has raised concerns over the extent of the disagreement within the organisation, particularly over the control of its national headquarters and the authority to manage its affairs.
The latest dispute also comes amid a prolonged leadership crisis within the ACF, and deepen political grandstanding which has been reported by Nigerian media to involve disagreements over the organisation’s leadership, its constitution and the legitimacy of competing claims to authority.
This led to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Forum to suspend the Chairman of its Board of Trustees, Alhaji Bashir M. Dalhatu, over alleged breaches of the organisation’s constitution.
The decision for the suspension followed an emergency NEC meeting held in Kaduna amid tension linked to reported police restriction of access to the ACF headquarters ahead of their gathering in May,2026.
Similarly, the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in a swift reaction dismissed the purported suspension of its Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, describing the action as illegal, unconstitutional and a desperate attempt to destabilise the northern socio-political organisation.
The disagreements in the group have exposed divisions among members and stakeholders over who should control the affairs of the northern socio-cultural organisation.
