Thousands hit the streets of Kano on Thursday, rallying behind State Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, in a show of force against Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s push to boot him out. The crowd, waving placards and chanting, was fired up over the governor’s Independence Day address where he slammed the police boss for “unethical practices” and “disservice to Nigeria”—all because security was pulled from the state’s anniversary parade, supposedly on intel.
Marching without a hitch, the protesters painted Bakori as a steady hand who’s kept things calm, insisting politics shouldn’t meddle in his beat. Voices from the ground cut through the noise:
Malam Sani Ahmed, a trader who’s seen the difference up close, laid it out: “This is pure politics, and we will not accept it. Commissioner Bakori has brought peace to our markets and our neighborhoods. We have seen a real change.” He didn’t hold back: “Why is the governor trying to remove a good man who is doing his job? We are here to tell the Governor to leave the Commissioner alone. If the police sense there is security intelligence, the police command must react promptly.”
Comrade Aminu Sani, speaking for women’s groups, added her piece: “For the first time in years, we feel our voices are heard by the police. The Commissioner has set up units that actually help us.” She shrugged off the drama: “Governor Abba’s fight is not our fight. He should focus on providing good governance, not on fighting a dedicated police officer who is serving the people.”
University student Abdulyasar Ahmad chimed in on the bigger picture: “This is not about one man, trust me. It is about due process. If the governor has a problem, he should follow the proper channels quietly, not create a public spectacle to embarrass a federal appointee doing his job.” The crowd’s message was clear: “This protest is to show that the people of Kano support the police and we believe in the work CP Bakori is doing. We call on President Tinubu to ignore the governor’s petition.”
The governor, fresh off vowing to petition through the National Security Advisor straight to President Bola Tinubu for Bakori’s immediate ouster, hasn’t dropped a word on the backlash yet. With tensions simmering between state and federal lines, this one’s got folks watching close for what’s next.
