Kano Police Issue Warning After Residents Chant Derogatory Words Against Governor, Emir

The police in Kano issued a warning to protesters on Monday, urging them to avoid causing disruptions on the streets, after some residents chanted derogatory words against the governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and the reinstated Emir Muhammad Sanusi II in two separate incidents.

The spokesperson of the police department in Kano Abdullahi Kiyawa said the recent incident took place with the emir as he was returning from Eid prayers on Monday, where unidentified people heckled him within the vicinity of Festival Primary School and Zage/Zango areas.

"Currently, the police command is monitoring the entire Sallah events to ensure law and order are maintained and adequate security measures are in place to tackle any form of security threat," he said, Premium Times reported.

He added, "Accordingly, the police command is warning individuals intending to cause chaos or breach the peace during the Sallah celebration to stay clear of the state."

Furthermore, the spokesperson also warned the public not to carry weapons during or after the celebration, threatening legal consequences for anyone caught violating this rule.

"Rigorous stop-and-search operations and patrols are ongoing in all Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the metropolitan area to ensure a peaceful celebration," Kiyawa said.

During the Eid celebrations, the governor's convoy faced heckles from some locals near the mini palace where the former Emir Aminu Ado Bayero now resides.

The former emir performed Eid prayers at a mini palace located about 300 meters from the Kano Government House, attracting thousands of residents and supporters. Meanwhile, Sanusi prayed at the Ahmadu Tijjani Mosque near the Sani Abacha Stadium at Kofar Mata.

As the governor's convoy drove past the mini palace, some residents shouted insults in the Hausa language, which is the second most spoken language after Arabic in the Afro-Asiatic family, directed at him and his political mentor Rabiu Kwankwaso.

However, the police did not comment on this incident.

Kano residents are divided between those who back the removal of Ado Bayero from his position and those who oppose it. Several supporters of the governor endorse Ado Bayero's removal and the reinstatement of Sanusi, a promise made by the governor during his election campaigns.