Bauchi State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon Abdulrazak Nuhu Zaki, has dismissed allegations of child abduction levelled against him by Iklima Manu Soro, describing them as baseless and unfounded.
Reacting to the petition filed against him at the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Hon Zaki questioned, “How can a father abduct his own biological daughter? Zainab Nuhu Zaki is legally and religiously my child, and I have every right over her.”
The controversy began when Iklima Manu Soro, through her lawyer, Barrister Mwansat Hirse, petitioned the IGP, claiming that Hon Zaki had abandoned his daughter from birth until she was nine years old, only to later forcefully take custody of her without any legal process.
Hon Zaki explained that he had been married to Zainab’s mother under Islamic law but was compelled to divorce her due to irreconcilable differences with her family. He alleged that pressure from her relatives, particularly Mansur Manu Soro, a member of the House of Representatives, and Nura Manu, contributed to the breakdown of the marriage.
“I never intended to divorce my wife because we loved each other deeply, but her family’s interference, especially from her brother and mother, led to the unfortunate end of our marriage,” he said.
The commissioner acknowledged the efforts of his former father-in-law, Alhaji Manu Soro, and other relatives who had tried to reconcile them. He stated that despite obtaining favorable court rulings from three different courts granting him custody of his daughter, he was repeatedly denied access to her.
“Now that her mother has remarried, and Zainab is no longer comfortable living with her grandfather, she has chosen to stay with me and her siblings. What is wrong with that? Yet, some individuals are running around stirring unnecessary trouble,” he added.
Hon Zaki denied kidnapping or abducting his daughter, emphasising that he was merely enforcing court rulings. He revealed that Zainab is now in a boarding school alongside three of his other daughters, adding, “Nothing can change that.”
He vowed to protect his children legally and religiously, urging his former in-laws to stop pursuing what he termed a baseless case.
Contacted over the matter, an elder brother to the Zainab’s mother who is also a member of the House of Representatives, Mansur Manu Soro, said that he would not comment as the issue is before a court of law.
On her part, Iklima Manu Soro, through her lawyer, insisted that the matter was still in litigation. She alleged that the commissioner refused to heed the intervention of Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, and that the case was currently before the Sharia Court of Appeal.
Barrister Mwansat Hirse accused Hon. Zaki of violating a Bauchi State High Court ruling that ordered both parties to maintain the status quo until a final verdict was reached, and further claimed that Hon. Zaki, with the alleged assistance of police operatives, attempted to forcibly take Zainab from her grandfather’s home.
The petition detailed an incident on January 21, 2025, where Hon Zaki allegedly orchestrated Zainab’s abduction while she was on her way to school. It also accused him of leading a group of thugs to invade the family home of the late Alhaji Manu Soro in December 2024 in an attempt to forcibly take the child, an effort that was thwarted by police intervention.
Following these allegations, the petitioners have urged the IGP to ensure a thorough investigation and take appropriate legal action against Hon. Zaki.
The case remains under judicial review as both parties continue their legal battle over Zainab’s custody.
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