Kano gov petitions NSA, demands removal of police commissioner

The rift between the Kano State Government and the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, has deepened as Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf formally petitioned the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, seeking the removal of the police chief.

The governor’s action follows an incident during the state’s 65th Independence Day celebration, where he accused CP Bakori of boycotting the national parade — an act he described as “unacceptable and a betrayal of public trust.”

Speaking at the event, Governor Yusuf said: “I therefore wish to seize this opportunity to call on the President, whom we know as a no-nonsense man, to remove the Commissioner of Police from Kano today.

“On behalf of the people, I am writing a petition through the office of the National Security Adviser for onward submission to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

While the Commissioner of Police has not publicly responded to the governor’s allegations, a senior police source familiar with the matter said the issue extended beyond the parade, noting that it was already known that the Independence Day ceremony had been cancelled.

The source accused the governor of long-standing hostility toward security agencies in the state, claiming he has clashed with at least three previous Commissioners of Police during his two years in office.

He also alleged that Governor Yusuf has repeatedly ignored police correspondence, including courtesy visit requests from both the CP and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), and has failed to attend key Security Council meetings, often delegating a junior special adviser instead.

In the wake of the governor’s public remarks, protests broke out in two locations across Kano, led by Barrister Nafisa Abba Isma’il, Chairlady of the Women Lawyers Congress.

The demonstrators blamed the government’s strained relationship with security agencies for rising insecurity in the state.

The protests came shortly after a press conference held by a coalition of civil society organisations under the banner of Kano Agenda.

The group demanded an investigation into the alleged police withdrawal during the Independence Day event and called for accountability from all parties involved.

As tensions escalate, both the state government and the police remain at odds, deepening concerns over the impact of the standoff on Kano’s fragile security landscape.