As kids, we grew up on the streets of Kano believing that police officers would go straight to hell after they passed away. We were told that their tongues would turn black immediately after death. This was because of how they collected bribes and extorted money from citizens.
The police were so corrupt that mothers wouldn’t allow their children to join the force. Mothers saw it as handing their children over to the devil, a direct ticket to hell. In some families, it was even shameful to have a police officer in their midst.
When the Boko Haram crisis began around 2009, and their targets were the police, people weren’t bothered at all. The police had an extremely poor relationship with most residents in Arewa, particularly in Kano, where I grew up.
Fast-forward to recent times; we had good commissioners of police in Kano, like the popular “Singham,” who redefined police officers in the eyes of the average Nigerian in the state. People started to see the goodness in the police. Many Hausa people began to proudly join the force.
In recent history, the Nigerian police have enjoyed a good working relationship with the people of Kano. They have received maximum support from the residents. Thanks to a retired CP Mohammed Wakili (Singham), a hardworking and patriotic commissioner of police, who made us understand that a police officer is our friend, not our enemy.
Unfortunately, the likes of Deputy President of the Senate Barau Jibrin and the National Chairman of APC Abdullahi Ganduje are allegedly colluding with police officers at the force headquarters to reverse this tremendous gain. Instead of allowing the police to concentrate on chasing hooligans (yan’daba) and phone snatchers terrorizing the state, they are busy chasing political opponents.
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir has publicly stated that the police no longer work with him as the chief security officer of the state, who has enjoyed the support of the majority of Kano residents. The governor is popular and liked by many residents; any conflict with him will only make the residents restore their hatred for police officers.
To make matters worse, the force headquarters are busy implementing the scripts of politicians by inviting the renowned and respected Emir of Kano, HRH Alh. Muhammadu Sunusi II, over a security breach during Eid prayers, which is not connected to the emir.
As a Kano citizen, I don’t see this as politics or take it lightly, nor do I see it as true policing. This is a clear disrespect of our traditional Hausa institution. Would the Inspector General of Police (IGP), a Yoruba man, whose tenure has expired, invite a Yoruba king for questioning?
We cannot remain silent as active Kano citizens while a Yoruba president and a Yoruba IGP collude with unscrupulous elements among us to degrade our respected emir. Nobody is above the law, but this is a clear case of political witch-hunting, and all sons and daughters of Kano should remain united and call a spade a spade.
The police should remain neutral, and Abuja politicians should not politicize national security or ridicule our traditional institutions. We should all work together to uphold the remarkable job of some excellent commissioners of police who truly made police officers our friends.
President Bola Tinubu should stop placing his second-term bid above the unity, safety, and progress of Nigeria.
Dr Danladi, a concerned citizen of Kano, writes from the US.
