Power, Paternity, and Persecution: The Explosive Case of Hadiza Musa Baffa vs. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN
In Nigeria’s long history of elite impunity, a new and explosive case has emerged—one that reveals the terrifying extent to which power can be used to silence, shame, and destroy a woman who dares to speak the truth. At the centre of this case is Hadiza Musa Baffa, and the man she accuses is no less than Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, former Minister of Special Duties under President Goodluck Jonathan, and one-time presidential aspirant.
Hadiza is not just alleging abuse—she is fighting for her life.
In her words and now in evidence, she was violated, manipulated, and allegedly trafficked into sexual servitude by Turaki, a man she claims was entrusted by her mother—his lover—to help her access education and a future. Instead, Hadiza says she became his “plaything,” exploited from her youth and ultimately forced to carry eight pregnancies, which she chillingly alleges were harvested for ritual purposes.
Her story might have been dismissed as emotional rant—except for one unshakeable fact: a DNA test has confirmed Kabiru Tanimu Turaki is the father of her child. The results returned a 99.99995% probability of paternity—undeniable, scientific proof that directly contradicts his earlier public denials of ever knowing her.
And that’s when things took a terrifying turn.
Rather than acknowledge paternity or face legal responsibility, Turaki allegedly activated the one tool that men of his stature often turn to when cornered: the police. Not just any police, but officers of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID)—deployed, reportedly under his instruction, to track, harass, and forcefully arrest Hadiza in a manner that violated every legal and moral standard.
On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, while Hadiza returned briefly home to pick up clothing for her child, she was ambushed. Officers reportedly broke down her door, detained her alongside her daughter, and treated her as a hardened criminal. There was no public warrant, no due process—only the raw force of a system seemingly protecting the powerful.
And all of this happened despite the fact that Turaki himself repeatedly ignored police invitations, evaded arrest, and even allegedly faked a trip to the United States to buy time—while plotting a brutal ambush against the mother of his child.
Hadiza is now in fear for her life. In her public statements, she warns that if anything happens to her or her daughter, the Nigerian public should hold Kabiru Tanimu Turaki responsible.
But more than a personal tragedy, this case now stands as a national test of conscience.
If the allegations are true, then this is not simply a custody battle or a lover’s spat—it is the deliberate destruction of a young woman’s body, dignity, and future, carried out by one of the most decorated legal minds in the country. It is the use of state machinery for vengeance, not justice. It is the erasure of a woman’s voice in the name of elite preservation.
And it should terrify every Nigerian.
What does it say about our nation when a man credibly accused of rape, ritual abuse, and paternity evasion can weaponize the law to arrest his accuser? What does it say when DNA evidence confirms the truth, and yet it is the victim who is thrown into custody?
Hadiza Musa Baffa is not seeking pity. She is demanding truth, accountability, and the right to live without being hunted. Her story must not be swept under the carpet of influence. Her voice must not be drowned by silence. Her child must not become a pawn in a cycle of elite punishment.
And if Nigeria still believes in the rule of law, then Kabiru Tanimu Turaki must be called to answer—not in silence, not in secret, but in the full glare of justice.
The time for complicity is over. The time for courage is now.
