The Kano State Police Command has vowed to enforce the order by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, which restricted any form of demonstration in Kano amid the ongoing emirship tussle in the state.
Grassroots Parrot had reported how Governor Yusuf imposed stringent restrictions on all public gatherings intended for protest within the state.
A statement issued by the Governor’s Spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Wednesday said the governor’s move was in line with the authority vested in him as the chief security officer of the state.
“By virtue of his position, the governor has directed the Police, the Directorate of State Security Services, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps to apprehend, detain, and prosecute any individual or group partaking in demonstrations on the streets of Kano.” The statement said:.
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According to the governor, “this decisive action is a preemptive strategy aimed at averting any potential breakdown of law and order orchestrated by adversaries of the state.
The development may not be unconnected with the ongoing emirship crisis in the state.
It came a day after two courts—the Kano High Court and the Federal High Court—gave conflicting ex parte orders on the eviction of the reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi II, the 16th Emir of Kano, from the palace.
Reacting to the governor’s directive on the protest ban on Wednesday, CP Usaini Gumel, the Commissioner of Police in the State, vowed to ensure that “the State Government Order that bans all forms of protests is being implemented with all sense of vigor, as any person found will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.’
A statement issued by SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, the command’s spokesman, quoted the commissioner as noting that armed personnel have since been deployed to identified flash points in and outside the Metropolis and are poised to deal with any form of violation and other unforeseen circumstances.
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The statement notes further: “The Police Command has placed its fully kitted, equipped, and motivated personnel on red alerts’ to ruthlessly deal with the situation, as any form of security threat in the state would not be tolerated.
“On this note, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, CP Mohammed Usaini Gumel, FIPMA, psc, calls on the law-abiding people of the state to remain patriotic, obey the Kano State Government Order, maintain calmness, and avoid any other form of unlawful activities that may trigger violence, as joint security forces have been dispatched to strategic locations to safeguard peace and order throughout the state.
“Furthermore, the Police Command is hereby reminding members of the public that the position of the law remains very clear, as whoever attempts to disrupt the peace in the state will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.” He said.