Ireti Kingibe Hospitalized After Political Thugs Attack during ADC Primary in Abuja

Ireti Kingibe Hospitalized After Political Thugs Attack during ADC Primary in Abuja

Abuja, Nigeria – Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has publicly detailed a harrowing violent attack she and several party officials endured during the African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Assembly primary elections in Abuja, an incident she has labeled a “premeditated ambush” . The lawmaker, who sustained acute head trauma , is now warning that political thuggery must not be allowed to replace democracy in Nigeria.

The chaos unfolded on Thursday at the ADC State Secretariat located in the Gudu district of Abuja, where Senator Kingibe had arrived to monitor the sorting and distribution of election materials for the party’s legislative primary contest. What began as a calm administrative process quickly descended into brutal violence when a politician identified as Tijani Mubarak arrived at the scene accompanied by a group of aggressive men.

According to Senator Kingibe’s detailed public account shared over the weekend, the situation spiraled out of control the moment the electoral committee chairman attempted to address the arriving team. The lawmaker recounted that “the moment he introduced himself, the Chairman asked if he was the individual who had been calling earlier in the day. Instantly, Mubarak became aggressively rude.” When the committee chairman refused to tolerate the rowdy behavior, the confrontation turned physical, with Kingibe stating that Mubarak “violently slapped the Chairman of the Committee” .

As violence erupted inside the secretariat office, a female aspirant seeking a legislative ticket attempted to document the breakdown of order using her mobile phone. However, her efforts were met with immediate force. In a disturbing update to her account, Senator Kingibe revealed that the female aspirant was violently grabbed and lifted entirely off the ground while the thugs wrestled her for the phone. Infuriated by her attempt to record the assault, Mubarak allegedly ordered his men to seize the device. The female aspirant was severely manhandled and only released after surrendering her phone, sustaining injuries to her hands during the struggle.

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The physical violence soon reached Senator Kingibe herself as the thugs took control of the administrative room. Recounting her own ordeal, the lawmaker stated that “one of Mubarak’s men turned on me… grabbed me, and flung me violently against the wall, hitting my head with severe force.” Following her rescue from the compound, Kingibe initially returned home and took painkillers, but her condition worsened dramatically, with symptoms including blurred vision and severe migraines. Medical doctors at Wuse General Hospital later confirmed that she had sustained acute head trauma from the impact against the wall.

To prevent any immediate rescue or intervention from outsiders, the invading group deliberately blocked all exit routes and locked the internal stakeholders inside the secretariat room. Senator Kingibe explained that “realising he was losing control of the room, Mubarak ran to the exit door, locked it, and trapped us inside with himself and his armed thugs.” The trapped party officials and the Senator remained imprisoned inside the locked office until an intense confrontation broke out on the building’s exterior. Outside supporters, recognizing the danger, launched a counter-offensive to breach the barricaded entrance and successfully rescued the injured occupants. Even after escaping the room, supporters had to shield Senator Kingibe and another woman, Dr. Fatima Goya, behind heavy furniture for their protection while violence continued outside the building.

However, a contradictory account has emerged from the accused politician. Ambassador Mubarak Ahmad Tijjani (also identified as Tijani Mubarak) has denied all allegations, claiming instead that he was the actual victim of the attack. In a statement released on Sunday, Tijjani insisted that he did not arrive with thugs nor did he attack anyone. He further alleged that the incident did not occur at an official ADC secretariat but rather at Senator Kingibe’s constituency office in Gudu, Abuja. Tijjani accused Kingibe’s camp of moving sensitive electoral materials to a private office instead of distributing them to designated ward centres, leaving delegates waiting for hours. “I happen to be a senatorial aspirant, and I went there to defend my mandate as a party member and as somebody who respects the law. Unfortunately, this is what came out of it,” Tijjani said. He added that he was treated at Cairo Hospital for injuries sustained during the incident and has submitted medical reports to both the police and party leadership.

In response to the attack, Senator Kingibe has formally escalated the matter to both party authorities and federal law enforcement, filing a criminal complaint at the Apo Police Division in Abuja. Demanding immediate state action against the perpetrators, she issued a strong appeal to top security chiefs, stating, “I call upon the Inspector General of Police and the FCT Police Commissioner to immediately order the arrest, thorough investigation, and swift prosecution” of all those involved.

Senator Kingibe also used the opportunity to strongly criticize the rising trend of targeted hostility against women in politics , asserting that “the barbaric manhandling of a female aspirant and the physical assault on my person will not be swept under the carpet.” Despite the severity of her head injuries and the trauma of the experience, the lawmaker maintained that she remains “unbowed” by the intimidation.

This violent episode follows a significant legal victory for Senator Kingibe just days prior. On Friday, a Federal High Court in Abuja struck out a suit seeking to prohibit the Senator from ADC activities following an alleged suspension by ward executives. Justice Peter Odo Lifu dismissed the case as “frivolous, baseless and unfounded,” imposing a N10 million fine on the plaintiffs. Security agencies have yet to issue an official statement reconciling the conflicting claims from both parties, and investigations are reportedly ongoing.

Ireti Kingibe Hospitalized After Political Thugs Attack during ADC Primary in Abuja