Independence Day: Kano Gov Yusuf slams police over parade withdrawal

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has openly criticized the state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, accusing him of partisanship following the withdrawal of the police command from the Independence Day anniversary parade in Kano.

Speaking at the event on Wednesday, Governor Yusuf described the police’s absence as an affront to the people of Kano State and a slight to the spirit of national unity that the celebration represents.

The governor expressed disappointment that such an important national occasion could be politicized, stressing that Independence Day belongs to every Nigerian, regardless of political affiliation.

“In conclusion of my speech, I would like to call for all the security agencies to continue committing themselves in the tribes of this country, including Kano State and all other states.

“But security agencies, in Kano in particular, they shouldn’t be involving themselves in partisan politics, which will do no good to all of us in Kano State and in Nigeria of course. Let me say in particular that I would like to seize this opportunity as a Nigerian, as Kano citizen, and as the Chief Security Officer of Kano State, to condemn the unethical and partisan attitude of the current Commissioner of Police in Kano State,” the governor said.

He noted that the police commissioner’s absence from the parade, along with his personnel, was a deliberate decision that embarrassed the state on a historic day.

“As you can see, on this historic and independent anniversary of Nigeria, he decided to put out of the parade along with his own personnel. This is for reasons pertinent to him and pertinent to his people. Let me say that Kano State’s Chief Security Officer, on behalf of the government, are not happy with this attitude of the Commissioner of Police,” he stated.

The governor stressed that Kano remained peaceful and that the people had been eager to celebrate the country’s independence together.

“Today, every Nigerian is happy to celebrate the independence of this country. And we insist it, because we know Kano is peaceful. The good people of Kano are peace-loving people.

“They have been looking for this day, when we all gather here, to celebrate the independence of our country. And here is one of the security personnel, a special Chief Security of the Police Force here in Kano. This is a point to the Kano people,” he said.

Governor Yusuf further criticized the withdrawal as last-minute and politically motivated.

“In the last minutes, when all the police are dread, in fact, are just their own wish. Because along with Kano, we are looking for this opportunity to show the happiness and celebration to be in the history of Nigeria. When our rights is written today in court, yet the Commissioner of Police decided to withdraw at the last minute.

“It is not because of our boldness. It is not because of our insistence that we must come and celebrate. We all need to be happy here. And that will happen to the good people of Kano today,” he added.

He insisted that such actions contravened the Nigerian Constitution, emphasizing his role as the Chief Security Officer of the state.

The governor described the commissioner’s conduct as “unethical,” adding, “You can see I used my own pilot car to go around. This is unethical. This is disloyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

While thanking other security agencies for their participation in the parade, Yusuf assured of his government’s continued support to sustain peace and unity in.

When our correspondent reached out to the Police Commissioner, he simply said, “I am on a condolence visit, I will call you back later.”

(DailyTrust)