We Held a Peaceful Rally in Kano – Kano Peace Ambassadors
NEWS DIGEST – The Kano State Peace Ambassadors have refuted claims linking them to the burning and looting of shops that occurred on Thursday during a protest over hardship in Kano.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the group’s Chairman, Nasiru Usman Naibawa, denied the allegations. Naibawa, a former chairman of Kumbotso Local Government in Kano Metropolis, explained that their rally, which began at their office on Audu Bako Way, was peaceful. They aimed to present a letter to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, at his Nassarawa Palace and then proceed to the Kano State Government House to deliver a similar letter to the governor. However, they halted their plans on the advice of security agencies to avoid clashing with violent protesters.
Naibawa urged Nigerians to give President Tinubu more time to address the country’s challenges and called on well-meaning citizens to refrain from participating in ongoing protests, which have led to lawlessness.
He condemned the spread of false news linking the recent looting and the burning of the NCC Complex and High Court of Justice to Baffa Babba Danagundi, the grand patron of the Peace Ambassadors, describing such claims as attempts to tarnish his image.
“The group spreading this fake news is faceless, unregistered, and unidentified by anyone in the state,” Naibawa stated. “We are law-abiding citizens, and our peaceful rally was conducted with the permission of security agencies who were present with us. None of our members broke any laws.”
Naibawa expressed confusion over why the governor associates lawlessness with his opponents, emphasizing the group’s history of organizing events in collaboration with Kano Citizens Forum, attended by prominent Kano citizens. He questioned the logic of engaging in illegal activities while accusing their grand patron of inciting violence as unjust.
“Over 300 perpetrators were arrested by the police and other security agencies. None of them mentioned our grand patron as a sponsor. Among those arrested are members of the Kwankwasiyya, and one individual even implicated Emir Sanusi’s Chief of Staff, Dan Buram, in a viral video.”
Naibawa criticized the government for politicizing issues in Kano and lamented that some media outlets reported the news without balanced coverage, labeling it “gutter journalism.”
“We presented our letter to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, highlighting the citizens’ hardships, and he assured us that our message would be conveyed to the President,” Naibawa concluded.
