By Nwafor Sunday

The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El- Rufai, Thursday gave an insight on how the federal government spends about Three million five hundred thousand naira (3.5), monthly to feed the detained leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.

Nasir el-Rufai

Elrufai faulted the statement allegedly made by the minister of information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, when he hosted the management team of The Sun Publishing Limited, yesterday.

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Recall that Lai Muhammed had argued that the federal government spends N3.5m monthly on El-Zakzaky’s feeding. A statement that has sparked allot of controversies with many criticizing the federal government of over spending on a detained man.

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

Lai Mohammed

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

His words, “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.

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

El-Zakzaky

“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.”