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Lawyer Threatens SSS with Lawsuit for Subduing Convener of #NoMoreBloodshed in Kano to Jettison Protest

Lawyer Threatens SSS with Lawsuit for Subduing Convener of #NoMoreBloodshed in Kano to Jettison Protest

The simultaneous protests by Northern Nigerian youths on Friday may have succeeded in awakening President Muhammadu Buhari to give terse orders to security and intelligence agencies to take the issues of security more seriously, but the role played by the State Security Service (SSS) in stalling the protest in Kano has been questioned.

One of the conveners of the #NoMoreBloodshed in Kano, Zainab Naseer Ahmed, was invited by the SSS and her two-hour stay with the security agency doused her initial resolve to lead the protest in the state.

She came out of the meeting with SSS and dissociated herself from the protest.

The protests were organized across some northern states and the FCT to draw the attention of the government to the escalating insecurity in the North, following the gruesome killing of at least 42 travelers in a bus in Sokoto.

Upon leaving SSS in Kano, Ms Ahmed took to her Facebook page to say that she wa no longer going to participate in the protest.

“I want to let people know that from today, I’m dissociating myself from the protest that started today. I’m kindly advising my Kano people to stay away from tomorrow’s protest.

“I’m aware of some issues, and I’m worried about the safety of people and I don’t want anyone to be hurt due to such action. It could be very risky for people to protest tomorrow in Kano due to the information I heard about the plans to hijack and cause chaos for some political interest.

“I advise us to stay at home for our SAFETY. I was invited for a friendly discussion by the DSS. It is not about me or you, rather the interest of the state. Peace,” she wrote, calling on other protesters to boycott the protest as well.

A human rights lawyer in Kano State who pleaded not to be named yet told Nigeria Sketch that “the SSS intimidated Zainab into boycotting the protest, thereby trampling on her guaranteed right.”

He said he would file an action to enforce the fundamental right of “the victim of state intimidation and ensure that the law gives punitive damages against the SSS.”

The planned protests still went as arranged, albeit with relative success, although observers said the government appeared to have been awakened from its “embarrassing slumber.”

Protesters, who were wielding placards, organised the protests simultaneously in Kano, Bauchi, Zamfara, Sokoto States and Abuja.

They called on President Muhammadu Buhari and governors to show more interest in tackling insecurity in the region.

Following the protest, President Muhammadu Buhari deployed a high-level security team to the troubled Katsina and Sokoto states, according to statement by one of is media aides, Garba Shehu.

 

Share your thoughts on the story with Nigerian Sketch in the comments section below.

 

Faruk Khalil
Faruk Khalilhttps://nigeriansketch.com/
Khalil Faruk (Deputy Editor-in-Chief), has a Bachelors and Master's degree in Political Science and has worked as a reporter, features editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief respectively in a leading Nigerian daily. He has undergone trainings in journalism, photo journalism and online journalism within and outside Nigeria.

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