The police in Kano State the day before today blocked individuals of the ‘Tinubu Should Move’ (TMG) motion from having access to the venue of a deliberate assembly, sparking protests by way of the organisers and condemnation from Amnesty Global Nigeria and different stakeholders.
The police blockade in Kano took place two weeks after the arrest and arraignment of 5 males in Maiduguri, Borno State, over the usage of T-shirts bearing the inscription “Tinubu Should Move”, which caused criticisms from human rights teams and opposition figures.
The boys – Baba Aji Gremami, 44; Mustapha Abba Yemen, 28; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, 32; Adam Umar Gubio, 21; and Abdulhamid Mohammed, 21- had been arrested on September 25, 2026, across the West Finish Roundabout space of Maiduguri.
They had been due to this fact arraigned prior to Leader Justice of the Peace Courtroom I in Maiduguri on fees of prison conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery below Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code. They pleaded no longer in charge to the costs.
The police alleged that the defendants conspired to print and put on the T-shirts with the aim of inflicting a breach of public peace. The command later mentioned officials discovered them with suspected hashish, pills, a shisha pot and different pieces all through a regimen patrol. The allegations have no longer been established in court docket.
The arrests drew condemnation from Amnesty Global, which described the detention as arbitrary and known as for the boys’s free up, arguing that non violent political expression must no longer be criminalised.
Following their arraignment, the defendants’ attorneys carried out for bail. The court docket due to this fact granted bail to the 5 males, consistent with studies printed on October 7. The substantive case has been scheduled for October 26, 2026.
TMG alleges rights violation
Previous, individuals of the motion protested the police blockade, alleging that closely armed safety operatives avoided them from having access to a personal tournament centre they’d paid to make use of.
In a are living video posted on his verified Fb web page on Sunday, October 11, Hikima mentioned greater than 10 cellular police cars were stationed on the venue.
He described the collection as an workout of the crowd’s constitutional rights to freedom of expression and non violent meeting, insisting that the organisers weren’t criminals and had no aim of inflicting bother.
“Lately, the eleventh of October 2026, we accumulated right here in Kano State with a view to workout our basic human rights and to affiliate freely with a view to trade concepts and train ourselves at the want to ship away the management of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Nigeria,” Hikima mentioned.
He accused the police of forestalling the crowd from having access to the venue as a result of its opposition to the president’s management.
The attorney argued that the motion was once entitled to collect and trade political beliefs with out acquiring police permission, mentioning Sections 39 and 40 of the 1999 Charter, which offer for freedom of expression and non violent meeting and affiliation, respectively.
Hikima additionally rejected tips that the crowd wanted police approval to carry its assembly, pronouncing the organisers meant to habits themselves peacefully and throughout the regulation.
He vowed that the motion would proceed its actions in spite of the incident, together with setting up additional demonstrations.
“The Courtroom of Enchantment resolution stands. I don’t want to tell any safety agent to carry my rallies. Subsequent time, we’re going to protest; subsequent time, we’re going to reveal,” he mentioned.
Police shield Kano blockade
In the meantime, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, has defended the motion, pronouncing the command was once concerned with public protection and had to verify the character of the collection prior to offering safety.
In an interview with a web-based platform, DCL Hausa, Bakori mentioned he contacted one of the vital conveners, a attorney, Abba Hikima, after seeing details about the deliberate assembly on social media.
“I noticed it the day before today on social media that they’re coming to carry a meeting. I known as Barrister Hikima and requested him what was once going down. He mentioned it was once a meeting they sought after to carry, and I mentioned it was once necessary that we had been conscious in order that lets supply coverage,” the commissioner mentioned.
In line with him, Hikima disclosed that about 700 other people had been anticipated to wait the collection, prompting him to request a postponement to permit each events to speak about safety preparations.
“He mentioned 700 other people can be entering the state. I mentioned the quantity was once prime and that he must delay it and are available in order that lets speak about it. He mentioned he would take into consideration it and get again to me,” Bakori mentioned.
The commissioner alleged that he later tried to succeed in Hikima by way of phone however the attorney didn’t reply to his calls.
Bakori mentioned the police had to know the choice of other people attending such gatherings and the character of the actions deliberate to verify ok safety.
“We need to control. Who’s coming? What form of tournament is he protecting? We want to know,” he mentioned.
He cited a contemporary incident during which the police allegedly intercepted hands from individuals who got here to Sabon Gari in Kano below the guise of attending a political accumulating.
He mentioned the incident was once nonetheless below investigation, including that the command may no longer forget about safety issues when organisers introduced plans to convey loads of other people into the state.
Bakori, alternatively, maintained that the police weren’t in quest of to stop the organisers from exercising their rights however sought after to verify the protection of members and different citizens.
“It’s a part of their proper to convey other people in combination and do no matter, and no one will forestall them. Legally, it isn’t obligatory, however we even have a mandate to make certain that not anything is going mistaken for or in opposition to them,” he mentioned.
He added that discussion between the organisers and the police will have helped get to the bottom of the worries surrounding the assembly.
“The place somebody’s proper stops is the place someone else’s proper starts. It’s a very simple factor that we can simply come and speak about, in order that they may well be safe additionally,” the commissioner mentioned.
Amnesty Global condemns blockade
In the meantime, Amnesty Global Nigeria condemned the police motion, describing the blockade as an illegal restriction of the crowd’s rights.
In a observation, the human rights organisation mentioned closely armed law enforcement officials blocked each ends of the street resulting in the venue of the TMG tournament.
“Amnesty Global strongly condemns the illegal and outrageous blockading of the venue of a ‘Tinubu-Should-Move’ tournament Lately in Kano,” the organisation mentioned.
It steered the Nigeria Police Power to desist from what it described as reckless violations of human rights, stressing that supporters of political applicants and events had the correct to organise non violent actions.
“The obligation of the police is to facilitate non violent habits of such political gatherings regardless of the political birthday celebration or candidate being supported or antagonistic,” the organisation mentioned.
Amnesty Global added that freedom of affiliation and non violent meeting was once no longer unique to any political birthday celebration or its supporters.
The organisation additional described the incident as a part of what it known as a troubling trend of police repression focused on opposition individuals in several portions of the rustic.
It warned that repeated assaults and intimidation in opposition to opposition supporters may make it harder for them to affiliate freely and organise public gatherings.
The incident has renewed debate over the steadiness between police accountability for public protection and voters’ constitutional rights to non violent meeting, in particular as political actions start to acquire momentum forward of the 2027 normal elections.
APC the use of police to suppress dissent – ADC
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Marketing campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has condemned the Kano State Police Command for disrupting the “Tinubu Should Move” rally in Kano.
Whilst describing the motion as “shameful, unconstitutional and a hectic descent into authoritarianism”, the marketing campaign council accused the police of violating Nigerians’ basic rights to non violent meeting and freedom of expression, as assured by way of the 1999 Charter, as amended.
In a observation on Sunday, Director of Media and Exposure of the ADC marketing campaign, Kola Ologbondiyan, mentioned the rally, led by way of Barrister Abba Hikima and organised by way of involved youths, was once reportedly disrupted when police operatives barricaded The Road Match Centre and allegedly intimidated members.
Regardless of the police motion, the council mentioned the youths demonstrated braveness and backbone by way of refusing to be silenced and insisting on making their voices heard.
The ADC-PCC expressed outrage over the reported arrest of the landlord of The Road Match Centre for allegedly permitting the power for use for the collection, describing the improvement as any other “troubling indication of the APC-led govt’s intolerance of dissent.”
The birthday celebration puzzled why a industry proprietor must face arrest for creating a facility to be had for a calm accumulating.
“This isn’t democracy. That is tyranny. For a way lengthy will the APC proceed to make use of the police to suppress dissenting voices?” Ologbondiyan queried.
He described as ironic a state of affairs during which a central authority that says to uphold democratic values seems threatened by way of voters exercising their constitutional rights.
“The message from Kano is loud and transparent: Nigerians are drained, hungry and indignant. You’ll be able to forestall a rally and arrest a venue proprietor, however you can’t arrest starvation within the land. You can not barricade the anger and frustration of over 200 million other people,” he mentioned.
Ologbondiyan argued that the federal government’s priorities had been out of place, insisting that the similar resolution displayed in disrupting the rally must as a substitute be directed in opposition to tackling lack of confidence, banditry and the crushing value of dwelling.
“If the APC govt had deployed the similar power it used to prevent a calm rally at The Road Match Centre to take on lack of confidence, banditry and the excruciating value of dwelling, Nigeria can be a more secure and extra wealthy country,” he added.
The council counseled Barrister Abba Hikima and the youths who participated within the rally for his or her braveness and backbone to talk out in spite of the reported police intimidation.
It also referred to as at the Inspector-Normal of Police and the Kano State Police Command to verify the instant and unconditional free up of the development centre proprietor, if nonetheless in custody, and to desist from movements able to turning the police into an device of political oppression.
The ADC-PCC additional steered civil society organisations, human rights teams and the world neighborhood to pay shut consideration to what it described as a deadly erosion of democratic freedoms in Nigeria.
“The best to protest isn’t a privilege granted by way of the police or the APC; this can be a proper assured by way of the Charter. No quantity of intimidation will forestall Nigerians from difficult alternate.
“The ADC stands firmly with Barrister Abba Hikima, the brave youths of Kano and each Nigerian who has discovered the braveness to mention sufficient is sufficient,” the observation mentioned.
UPDATE NEWS:
Nigerians can now make investments ₦2.5 million on top class domain names and benefit about ₦17-₦25 million. All profits paid in US Greenbacks. Relatively than marvel,
click here to find out how it works.