The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, has denied preventing members of the ‘Tinubu Must Go’ movement from holding a gathering in the state, saying the police were concerned about security.
Bakori said the command recognized the group’s right to peaceful assembly but maintained that notifying the police would help it make adequate security arrangements for the event, which was expected to attract about 700 participants.
The commissioner spoke in an interview with DCL Hausa following Sunday’s protest by members of the movement, who accused the police of blocking access to their planned meeting venue.
The protesters, led by the movement’s convener, Abba Hikima, later marched through the streets, chanting “Tinubu Must Go” and waving branded flags.
In a live video posted on his verified Facebook page, Hikima alleged that more than 10 mobile police vehicles were deployed to the venue to prevent members from accessing the private facility they had paid to use.
He described the action as a violation of their civic rights, insisting that the law did not require them to obtain police permission before holding a gathering.
However, Bakori said he contacted Hikima after learning about the planned event on social media and invited him to discuss security arrangements with the command.
According to the commissioner, he also asked the organisers to postpone the gathering pending further discussions but received no response to subsequent calls.
Bakori said the police had no intention of stopping the group from exercising its rights, adding that the command had provided security for its activities on previous occasions.
“It is their right to come and organise their gathering. Nobody will stop them, and the law does not require them to inform us,” he said.
“However, notifying us is important because it allows us to regulate the event and ensure there is no tension.”
The commissioner cited a recent incident in Kano’s Sabon Gari area, where he said police seized weapons and arrested some individuals who claimed to have travelled to the state for political activities.
He said investigations into the incident were ongoing, adding that the command’s priority was to protect the organisers, their supporters and other residents.
Meanwhile, Hikima criticised the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, and Bakori, accusing them of allowing political considerations to interfere with their duties.
He maintained that the alleged blockade infringed on the movement’s rights and vowed that its members would continue to protest and demonstrate.
