By John Umeh
The Kano State Government has urged security agencies to immediately interrogate and possibly arrest former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje over what it describes as a covert plan to set up an unauthorized militia-style organisation in the state.
The call follows Ganduje’s recent announcement that the Ganduje Foundation intended to launch a volunteer corps similar to the Hisbah Board, days after the state government terminated the appointments of 12,000 Hisbah personnel.
Briefing journalists after the 34th State Executive Council meeting, the Commissioner for Information and Home Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, said the council carefully examined public statements attributed to Ganduje and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin. According to Waiya, the duo suggested that Kano was exposed to the threat of banditry and proposed that 12,000 young people be mobilized into a new religious enforcement outfit to be known as Khairul Nas.
Waiya said the council found their remarks “reckless and provocative,” warning that such comments could erode confidence in existing security architecture and mislead the public.
He added that council members were particularly unsettled by reports that bandits attacked border communities barely two days after the controversial statements were issued — a coincidence they considered troubling.
“The council expressed deep concern that these utterances could embolden criminal elements or be misconstrued as a call to take the law into private hands,” the commissioner said. “As such, the state government is calling for a thorough investigation and immediate arrest of the former governor for allegedly attempting to initiate an unlawful security outfit in the state.”
Waiya also appealed to national and state political leaders to avoid statements capable of raising tension or creating panic among residents. He assured the public that the government, in collaboration with federal authorities and security agencies, remains committed to safeguarding lives and property across Kano.
