A group of Kano residents on Thursday staged a peaceful protest in support of the state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Bakori, amid rising calls for his removal.

Solacebase reports that the protest followed Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s calls for the removal of CP Bakori, after the police withdrawal from the Independence day parade, which Governor Yusuf described as a sign of disrespect and political interference.

The demonstrators, led by civil society organizations, praised the commissioner for his efforts in tackling insecurity, particularly phone snatching and street thuggery, which have become major concerns in the state.

The protesters carried placards to express opposition to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s call for the Police Commissioner’s removal from the State.

Addressing the crowd, Barrister Khadija Abba Ismaïl, Chairlady of the Women Lawyers Conference, said Bakori deserved encouragement rather than removal at this critical time.

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“We are solidly behind the Commissioner of Police, considering how he is trying to eradicate security vices in the state. Kano is in dire need of collaboration between the police and government to fight insecurity. The calls to remove the commissioner is wrong. We call on the Inspector-General of Police not to remove him but to encourage him to do well.”

Meanwhile, One Kano Agenda, a socio-political organization,  accused the Federal Government of undermining Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day celebration in Kano through what it described as politically motivated interference by the police.

Speaking at a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Kano, on Thursday, the group’s Director-General, Abass Abdullahi Yakasai, alleged that the Kano Police Command’s withdrawal from the Independence Day parade was a deliberate act.

According to Yakasai “The police pullout, which reportedly occurred barely 30 minutes before the commencement of the parade, was not an administrative lapses but an order from Abuja designed to embarrass Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and dampen public morale.”

The unfolding events have deepened political divisions in Kano, with groups split between backing the governor’s demand and defending the police commissioner’s record in combating insecurity.