Oct 1 Protest: NPFM Chairman Abdulmajid, Four Other Activists Arrested in Kano, Transferred to National Security Adviser’s Office in Abuja

The Chairman of the Nigeria Patriotic Front Movement (NPFM), Comrade Abdulmajid Yakubu Daudu, along with four other activists, has been arrested by the Kano State police and transferred to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) in Abuja. The activists were reportedly detained after responding to an invitation from the Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Salman Dogo Garba, for a meeting at 2:00 pm on Monday, September 30, 2024.

The activists were initially held at the Kano Police Headquarters before being moved to Abuja on directives from the NSA’s office, led by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. Those arrested alongside Comrade Abdulmajid include Barrister Yusha’u Sani Yankuzo, Barrister Amina Bello, Comrade Sani NaRogo, and Comrade Anas.

Sources have confirmed that the activists’ mobile phones were confiscated during their detention, leaving their current status unclear. “They were just taken from Kano police headquarters to Abuja NSA’s office. All their phones were seized by the police,” a source close to the situation reported.

The specific reasons for their arrest remain undisclosed, raising concerns over the rights of political activists in Nigeria and the implications of these arrests. Efforts to contact both the police and the Force spokesperson, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, have so far been unsuccessful, with neither responding to calls or messages. Similarly, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Haruna, has yet to comment on the matter.

In a statement released by the NPFM Secretariat and signed by Comrade Al Amin, the organization expressed grave concern over the disappearance of its members. The statement titled “Where Is Comrade Abdulmajid Yakubu Daudu, National Chairman, NPFM?” recounted how Abdulmajid left for a meeting with the police commissioner earlier in the day but has since gone missing, alongside the other activists. “As of 7:42 pm, Comrade Abdulmajid and his colleagues have not returned. Their whereabouts are unknown. All efforts to reach them have proved abortive,” the statement read.

The NPFM’s statement further highlighted that just a day before their arrest, Comrade Abdulmajid had led a press conference in Kano announcing plans for a nationwide protest, dubbed National Survival Day, set for October 1, 2024. The protest aims to address the soaring cost of living, rampant corruption, insecurity, and calls for the renationalization of the NNPC and electricity distribution services, among other demands.

The incident has drawn attention to increasing political repression in Nigeria, with the NPFM urging solidarity across the country in the campaign for the safe return of the detained activists.

This arrest comes on the heels of recent charges filed by the Nigerian government against #EndBadGovernance protesters, who were accused of treason following nationwide demonstrations against poor governance and economic hardship.