Tension is rising in Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State following the arrest of two members of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) over a Facebook post allegedly accusing the council chairman, Ibrahim Yakubu Addis, of abandoning a road construction project.
The two, identified as Murtala Garba Doka and Shamsu Safiyanu Lambu, popularly known as Shamzeet Lambu, were reportedly picked up on Monday on the orders of the chairman.
Their arrest was allegedly prompted by a Facebook post made by Shamzeet Lambu, in which he accused the chairman of failing to complete the Lambu–Banki–Yarimawa–Jakata road project, said to have been approved by the state government at a cost of about ₦240 million.
In the post written in Hausa, Lambu stated: “₦240 million kudinmu a Burji, Allah Ya Saka Mana Wlh,” which translates to, “Our ₦240 million is buried in dust; may God reward us.”
Sources told Kano Times that the two party members were initially detained at the Tofa Divisional Police Station before being transferred to the Kano State Police Command Headquarters in Bompai for further investigation.
Confirming the development, Comrade Nazifi Ado Lambu, a youth leader in the area, said the arrests had generated tension among residents.
“Yes, they were arrested because of the Facebook post about the road project. They were held at the divisional police station before being taken to Bompai,” he said.
A resident of Lambu Ward, who pleaded anonymity, said the community had long appealed to the council chairman to fix the road, adding that he had initially promised to do so.
“He promised to construct the road with proper drainage and asphalt. But after the state government’s approval, only clearing and sand-filling were done before the work stopped,” the resident alleged.
Efforts to reach the chairman, Ibrahim Yakubu Addis, for comment were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to his phone went unanswered.
Similarly, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Kano State Command, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, could not be reached at the time of filing this report.