Protesters took to the streets of Abuja, marching to both the Presidential Villa and the National Assembly, to demand President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the ongoing conflict within the Kano Emirate.
The peaceful demonstrators carried banners highlighting their concerns about the deteriorating situation in Kano State.
The protest comes in the wake of the Kano State Assembly passing ‘The Kano State Emirates Councils (Repeal) Bill, 2024’, which dissolved the additional emirates created by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. This legislative move paved the way for Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to reinstate Muhammadu Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano, four years after his deposition.
Under the banner of the Concerned Patriots of Nigeria, the protesters accused Governor Yusuf of escalating tensions by dissolving the traditional council and removing five emirs. Abdullahi Muhammed Saleh, the group’s coordinator, stated, “We had hoped that Kano State would resolve its internal issues, but Thursday’s actions by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who sacked five emirs to reappoint Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi as the 14th Emir of Kano, have forced us to raise the alarm about the governor’s destructive excesses.”
The demonstrators called on President Tinubu to use his influence to mediate the conflict and ensure peace and stability are restored in Kano State. They emphasized the urgency of federal intervention to prevent further destabilization in the region.