The Kano State Peace Ambassadors have debunked a story going around that they were behind the burning and looting of shops that took place on Thursday during the hardship protest in Kano.
The Chairman of the group, Nasiru Usman Naibawa, said this in a statement sent to newsmen on Saturday.
Naibawa, a former chairman of Kumbotso Local Government in Kano Metropolis, told newsmen that they held a peaceful rally from their office at Audu Bako Way to present a letter to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, at his Nassarawa Palace. From there, they intended to move to the Kano State Government House to present a similar letter to the governor. However, on the advice of security agencies, they held back to avoid a clash with the violent protesters.
According to him, President Tinubu needs more time to address the challenges facing the country and called on well-meaning citizens to desist from participating in the ongoing protests as it has led to a breakdown of law and order.
He also condemned the fake news peddlers who are associating the recent looting of shops and the burning of the NCC Complex and High Court of Justice with Baffa Babba Danagundi, the grand patron of the peace ambassadors, as people trying hard to tarnish his image.
“The group that is sponsoring this fake news is faceless; they are neither registered nor can they be identified by any individual in the state,” he said.
“We are law-abiding citizens. Our peaceful rally had the permission of the security agencies; they were there with us, and nobody among us did anything to break the law. I don’t know why the governor is associating the breakdown of law and order with his opponents.
Everybody knows that we always organize dinners for outgoing Commissioners of Police, Brigade Commanders, and other heads of security agencies in collaboration with the Kano Citizens Forum, which many prominent Kano citizens always attend.
How would we engage in anything that will break the law? Accusing our grand patron Baffa Babba Danagundi of the violence that erupted is the highest form of injustice.
Over 300 of the perpetrators were arrested by the police, not to mention other security agencies, but did you see any one of them calling our grand patron’s name as their sponsor?
Among the perpetrators arrested are members of the Kwankwasiyya, and one of them even mentioned Emir Sanusi’s Chief of Staff, Dan Buram, as their sponsor in a viral video, even though he betrayed them, according to the young man.
Why is the government politicizing every matter in Kano?
It is unfortunate that some media outlets carried the news without balancing the story. This is tantamount to gutter journalism.
We presented our letter to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, where we also lamented to him the hardships citizens are facing, and he assured us that our message would be conveyed to the President,” Naibawa said.