A non-partisan group, "One Kano Agenda", has strongly condemned a planned protest in Kano by certain organisations demanding the release of the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement issued on Monday and signed by its Director General, Abbas Abdullahi, and Secretary, Barr. Mukhtar Musa, the group described the planned protest as “suspicious, provocative, and ill-intentioned.”
The organisation said that while peaceful protest is a constitutional right, the decision to stage such a demonstration in Kano— a state with no direct link to Nnamdi Kanu or his cause— was a “deliberate attempt to sow tension, destabilize the state, and provoke chaos.”
“The plan is not only misguided and unreasonable, but clearly designed to ignite unnecessary ethno-religious discord and test the patience of a peace-loving people,” the statement read.
The group emphasized that Nnamdi Kanu is currently facing trial before a competent court on charges including treasonable felony, terrorism-related offences, incitement, and acts aimed at dismembering the Nigerian state. It warned that demanding his release through street agitation, while the matter is still in court, amounts to “undermining the judiciary and promoting mob justice.”
“Such actions, if tolerated, would destroy the very foundation of our democracy and open the door to anarchy, where the loudest mobs, not the law, determine justice,” the statement added.
One Kano Agenda questioned the motive behind choosing Kano as the location for the protest, describing it as a calculated provocation aimed at dragging the state into unnecessary conflict.
“Kano is not a testing ground for lawlessness, nor a theatre for political or ethnic experiments. Our people have made enormous sacrifices to maintain peace and must not be dragged into any agenda designed to disrupt public order,” the statement said.
The group urged security agencies to take proactive measures to prevent any illegal assembly capable of breaching public peace and called on the Kano State Government to remain vigilant in safeguarding the stability of the state.
It also appealed to Kano youths to shun any attempt to manipulate them into participating in activities that could endanger the peace and unity of the state.
“Kano’s peace is sacred, and our unity must never be toyed with. Those who seek to import tension into our midst must be exposed, resisted, and held accountable,” it stressed.
The statement reaffirmed the group’s commitment to peace, justice, and the rule of law, insisting that “no individual is above the law, and justice must be pursued through the courts, not the streets.”
