Kano: Security agencies reinforce govt property protection over likely Kwankwasiyya revolt

By : Leo Sobechi, Murtala Adewale

Date: 13 January 2026 4:23am WAT

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Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf

As plans for the eventual defection of incumbent Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, nears perfection, a combined team of Police and operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS), yesterday, threw, additional security around the Government House.

Although the security personnel did not agree to speak officially to journalists on the rationale for the additional security measures, an operative told The Guardian that “there is nothing special about what is going on; just routine proactive measure to ensure that hoodlums do not take undue advantage of the political tension to cause problem.”

The Guardian gathered that despite the certainty of the governor’s anticipated defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), no specific date has been slated for the formal change of platform.

A close aide of the governor confided that the NNPP leader, Rabiu Kwankwaso, before he left the state for Abuja, added that the governor cautioned officials of his administration against making any derogatory remarks against him.

Pioneer Director Planning, Research and Statistics (DPRS) in Kano Government House, Muhammad Adamu Nababa, said generality of Kano indigenes favour the governor’s planned defection to APC. This is even as the NNPP has backed any political action by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf in the face-off between him and its 2023 presidential candidate, Kwankwaso.

In a statement by its National Chairman, Dr Agbo Major, the party stated that as its sole governor and leader, Yusuf needed the party’s support to succeed in Kano.

The development came as security was significantly tightened around the Kano Government House, yesterday, amid growing speculation that the governor may be on his way to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Multiple security formations, including operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), were deployed in and around the seat of power, creating an unusual atmosphere around the complex.

Several armoured personnel carriers were positioned at key access points, including the main gate and the roundabout leading into the premises, while movement into the area was subjected to heightened scrutiny and identification checks.

Although no official announcement has been made, political circles in the state have been rife with reports that Yusuf is weighing a move to the APC from the NNPP.

The security build-up appeared to fuel anxiety among residents, with a source telling newsmen that the tension spilt into surrounding neighbourhoods.

According to the source, some schools dismissed pupils earlier than scheduled after parents were alerted, while traffic began to form along adjoining roads as the afternoon progressed.

In December 2025, supporters of the former governor and national leader of the NNPP, under the aegis of the Kwankwasiyya movement, had urged their principal, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Yusuf to defect to the APC.

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