Rev Joseph Hayab, a Christian cleric, has recalled an incident involving Namadi Sambo during the 2007 Kaduna State governorship election, saying he advised the then governorship candidate to distance himself from supporters carrying daggers during campaign activities.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, 10 August, 2026, Hayab said Sambo was the candidate many people supported at the time. He recalled seeing young men carrying daggers while accompanying Sambo’s campaign convoy and subsequently contacted him to express his concerns.
“In 2007, when he came out to contest the governorship of Kaduna State. Because he was candidate most of us wanted. I saw one day they were moving in their campaigns and young men were carrying daggers. I called him and said ‘Sir, you are too big to allow such campaign to happen with you, tell them you don’t need their support’. No one should support you and be threatening people carrying daggers on the street because he is supporting you.”
Hayab said he was concerned that the presence of armed young men during the campaign could create fear and threaten members of the public who encountered the procession. According to him, political support should not involve intimidation or the display of weapons, regardless of the candidate being supported.
He said he was particularly pleased with Sambo’s response after the issue was brought to his attention, noting that the former Kaduna governor quickly instructed his supporters to stop the practice. “And I’m so glad the man who was exposed quickly asked his men to stop,” Hayab said.
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