THE Kano State Police Command has declared a 24-hour curfew across the state.

The state Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Usaini Gumel, disclosed this in a statement he signed Wednesday evening.

His decision followed growing apprehension across the state after the  State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sacked Abba Kabir Yusuf as the state governor and declared the All Progressives Congress candidate, Nasir Gawuna, as the winner of the March 18 governorship poll.

Yusuf was the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) led by the state’s former Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), through its returning officer, Ahmed Ibrahim, a professor, had declared Yusuf the winner.

The commission said Yusuf won with 1,019,602 to beat Gawuna, whom it claimed polled 890,705.

Delivering its judgement, the three-person tribunal on Wednesday ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Yusuf and give it to Nasiru Gawuna.

The panel, presided over by Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay, deducted 165,663 votes from Yusuf’s total votes.

The court declared the deducted votes as invalid because the ballot papers were not stamped or signed.

Police in the state said on Wednesday that they had dispatched a combined team of officers across the city to enforce the curfew.

The ICIR reports that the sacked governor ordered the Police to declare a curfew.

“In view of the constitutional mandate of the Nigeria Police Force alongside the relevant internal security and law enforcement agencies to preserve law and order in the state, the Kano State Police Command has mapped out strategies in that direction and call on the good people of the state to give the necessary confidence and supports. 

“Going forward, Kano State residents are called upon to note that the combined security forces have already been dispatched to the nooks and crannies, including the entry and exits of the state, to ensure enforcement and strict compliance with the 24-hour curfew order as communicated by the state government via letter with Reference No: K/SEC/H/435/T.1/153 dated September 20, 2023 taking effect from 6 p.m. of Wednesday, September 20 to 6 p.m. of Thursday, September 21 2023.”

The Police vowed to arrest violators and make them face the law.

The ICIR reports that fear enveloped the state shortly after the tribunal gave its judgment via Zoom.

Marcus FATUNMOLE

Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org