Appeal Court judgment: Protests rock Kano, Ibadan

Appeal Court judgment: Protests rock Kano, Ibadan

Women protesters in Kano

Protests erupted in Kano city and environs  and Ibadan, Oyo State  on Monday with the demonstrators denouncing the recent judgment of the Court Appeal that sacked the state Governor, Abba Yusuf.

The protesters demanded a reversal of the Appeal Court judgment quashing the election of Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

In Ibadan, Governor Yusuf supporters gathered at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex to protest the Appeal Court verdict.

Uneasy calm had pervaded Kano city following a contradictory Certified True Copy of Appeal Court that affirmed the prayers of both the appellant and the respondent in the contentious Kano governorship, though the judiciary had since cleared the air.

In what appeared like a coordinated action on Monday, huge crowd of protesters had stormed strategic positions in the city as it visited temporary hiccups on commercial activities.

Kano- Zaria road, Maiduguri road by Muhammadu Buhari’s interchange, and Kantin Kwari (Kano textile market) were taken over by hundreds of youths who called for justice for Abba Yusuf.

The placard reads “Kano my city my state”, “Justice for Kano”, ” Justice for Abba”,  “Abba’s mandate was stolen in 2019, we will not allow it happen in 2023”.

The protest came on the heels of discovery by the Police that “some faceless group are bent on unleashing violence in Kano”, stressing that the police were on top of the situation.

CP Hussaini Gumel told newsmen in Kano on Monday that already 7 suspects had been arrested and would be arraigned soon.

CP Gumel revealed that “we have the understanding with the leadership of the contending political parties, and they have signed a peace pact, in view of that therefore, any one found outside this arrangement will be treated as common criminal”.

However, normalcy had since returned to the ancient city following the peaceful protest that lasted several hours. (NAN)