Tension arose in Kano State on Sunday after police officers allegedly prevented members of the ‘Tinubu Must Go’ movement from accessing a venue where they planned to hold a meeting against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Abba Hikima, a lawyer and one of the conveners of the movement, raised the alarm in a live broadcast on his verified Facebook page on Sunday .
He accused the police of blocking the entrance to the venue despite the group’s claim that it had paid to use the facility for the gathering.
Hikima said more than 10 mobile police vehicles had been deployed to the location.
Some police officers could be seen in the background of the video as he addressed supporters and explained why the group had assembled in Kano.
The movement describes itself as a non-partisan platform established to educate Nigerians and mobilise voters against Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Its campaign is centred on opposition to the Federal Government’s economic policies, which its members blame for the hardship facing citizens across the country.
Addressing the situation, Hikima said the gathering was intended to allow members to exchange ideas and discuss their political position ahead of the next general elections.
He maintained that the group had a constitutional right to assemble and express its opposition to the President.
“Today, the 11th of October 2026, we gathered here in Kano State in order to exercise our fundamental human rights and to associate freely in order to exchange ideas and educate ourselves on the need to send away the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Nigeria.”
He argued that the police presence at the venue was unnecessary and accused the authorities of attempting to suppress peaceful political expression.
“It is clear to Nigerians that Tinubu has failed. It is clear to all Nigerians that Tinubu has failed and there is need for Nigerians to come out and chase him away. But today as usual and as part of the entrenched and systemic corruption, insecurity and recklessness and injustice of this country, you can see already that over 10 vehicles of mobile police have been stationed.
“They have been stationed here in order to prevent us from accessing the private venue which we paid for; we are to gather here to exercise our civic rights… This is even the more reason why Tinubu must go.” Hikima said.
The lawyer also disclosed that he had spoken with the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, before the planned meeting.
According to him, the commissioner contacted him and explained that the police should have been informed about the gathering.
Hikima said he assured the commissioner that the meeting would take place in an enclosed venue and would be conducted peacefully.
He maintained that the group had no intention of disrupting public order or engaging in unlawful activities.
He further rejected any suggestion that the gathering required police permission, arguing that the right to assemble and express political opinions was protected by the Nigerian Constitution.
“We are not criminals, we are not thugs, we are not hooligans and we have not committed any offence. And there is nothing wrong with what we are doing right now.
“It is within the bounds of the law. I want to say it clearly that yesterday the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, called me on the phone and told me that courtesy demands that I inform them of this meeting. I said, ‘Sir, our meeting is going to be in an enclosed environment within a perimeter and we are going to be civil, we are lawyers’.
The Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, did not answer calls or respond to text messages and WhatsApp messages sent to him seeking clarification on why officers had allegedly blocked access to the meeting venue.
As of the time of filing this report, the police had not publicly explained the reason for the deployment, while Hikima had maintained that the group would continue its activities