The Kano State Police Command has arrested five members of the Nigeria Patriotic Front Movement (NPFM), a group leading the planned October 1, 2024, protest in Kano.
Among those arrested were the group’s national chairman, Comrade Abdulmajid Yakubu Daudu, and four others: Barrister Yusha’u Sani Yankuzo, Barrister Amina Bello, Comrade Sani NaRogo, and Comrade Anas Abdullahi.
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In anticipation of the protest, many shops in parts of Kano were closed to safeguard lives and property. A visit to popular markets like Muhammadu Rimi and Yankwura revealed that business activities had yet to resume as of the time of this report.
The NPFM had vowed to march the streets of Kano on October 1 to demand better governance. However, the group emphasized that they did not intend to incite violence, but rather to peacefully deliver their demands to the government.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the arrested members have been taken to Abuja. It was alleged that the arrests occurred after the group’s leaders refused to comply with a request to send representatives to discuss the planned protest.
Speaking at a press briefing in Kano, Comrade Daudu criticized the federal government’s policies, particularly the removal of fuel subsidies in 2023, which he claimed had worsened poverty in Nigeria. He said, “The problem began by the time the naira was devalued, the bank rate and electricity skyrocketed, the middle class was decimated, and starvation became visible in towns and countries alike.”
In a statement signed by Comrade Al Amin from the NPFM Secretariat, the arrests were confirmed. According to the statement, the activists were detained after a meeting with the Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Salman Dogo Garba. The activists were reportedly transferred from Kano Police Headquarters to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) in Abuja, and their mobile phones were seized.
The statement further revealed, “Comrade Abdulmajid Yakubu Daudu left his office this afternoon at around 2:30 pm to attend a meeting with the Kano state commissioner of police at the Bompai headquarters of the force. As of 7:42 pm, Comrade Abdulmajid and his colleagues have not returned. Their whereabouts are unknown. All efforts to reach them have proved abortive.”
