2019 General elections and the resurrection of thuggery in Kano State

Of course, the damage caused by the high rate of thuggery and other forms of atrocities by the jobless, uneducated and misguided youth, popularly know as “yan daba” in Kano State can hardly be healed in a short period of time.

Kano State, being one of the most populous states in Nigeria and which also doubles as the centre of commerce has witnessed a lot of atrocious and catastrophic activities by these hopeless and unscrupulous youth which hurled the state into great mayhem that threatened the level of security and socio-economic activities of the state.

History has revealed that thuggery (daba) has emerged more than 40 years back in Kano and consequently lead to the death and destructions of many lives and properties.

There are many factors that where reportedly believed to be the sole causes and genesis of thuggery in Kano State.

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It is obvious that any form of misbehaviour and atrocity committed by our teaming youth is linked to the poor accessibility to education, high level of unemployment, poverty and broken homes.

These are surely the same factors that unarguably hurled the teeming youth of Kano State into thuggery.

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In some years back, Kano State has witnessed series of miseries caused by youth participation in thuggery which hurled the state into high level of tension and insecurity.

Such calamities include communal clashes and feud like the feud between Zage and Kofar Wambai, Fagge and Koki, Gandun Albasa and Sheka, Dan Agundi and Sabuwar Kofa etc, confiscation of people’s properties, high level of rape, theft, burglary, homicide and mayhem.

Relationship Between Politics And Thuggery in Kano State

There has been a very tenacious and intimate relationship between politics and thuggery in Kano State. Some people even do believe that it was politics and it’s activities that beget thuggery (daba) in the state. Politics has swept away many youth of the state, especially the less privilege ones that were not lucky enough to be educated or get a job.

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Politicians took a good advantage of the youth by making them their political thugs and campaigners. That is the genesis of political thuggery and violence by our hopeless youth in Kano State.

Their bright future was stolen by some unscrupulous and callous politicians with the sole aim to achieve their selfish desires. There was many reports that some callous politians supply the youth with high intoxicating drugs and local weapons instead of returning them to school.

The Decline of Thuggery in Kano State

As stated earlier, thuggery, popularly known as daba in Kano State has skyrocketed to the level that threatened the level of peace, harmony, socioeconomic activities and well-being of the state.

This raised a great concern to the level that compelled the government, traditional rulers, clerics and other various stakeholders of the state to raise up and fight the menace legs above head.

There was indeed a great success in the fight against daba as peace and normalcy proudly returned into the state.

Even though one could not boldly say that the activities of daba was completely eradicated from the state, but it was nailed down to a very lower level.

2019 General election and the resurrection of thuggery in Kano

It is unfortunate that the activities of daba that was proudly simmered down and crippled in Kano State is slowly coming back to it’s initial detrimental and dreadful level due to the looming of the 2019 general election.

Today in Kano, fear returns slowly and settles in the mind of the people due to the emergence of dirty and desperate politics.

Politicians are now desperately looking for success in the forthcoming elections by hook or by crook, or by thunder and lightning.

Youth are now the hot cakes and the tools used by the politicians to win their politics.

Today, weapons and dangerous drugs are freely given to our teeming youth by some selfish and ironhearted politicians and subsequently turning them into firstclass thugs (‘yan daba).

Today one can not freely bring out his phone in a broad day light to make call in some part of Kano State without been confiscated by such thugs.

One can not boldly express or say out his right choice of political candidate in some places without been victimised.

Today in Kano, some thugs believe to be supporters of some strong politicians can stop you, harass, victimise and even claim that if they kill you the kill nothing and nothing will happen to them because they have the backup of so so politicians.

Political thugs now have licence to do whatsoever they like through victimising people and disobeying orders solely because they have the support of some of bigger politicians in the state. What a fiasco!

Possible Way Out

The rate of this thuggery is becoming worrying and alarming in the state. All hands have to be on deck in order to veer away from this calamity.

Not only the state government has a role to play in the eradication of daba in Kano State. The Federal Government, traditional rulers, clerics and all the stakeholders in the state have to take the matter very serious before it becomes too late.

The politicians should advisibly place the lives and well-being of the peoople at a highest priority and place and sentiment and selfish desire aside.

Every party has to be very careful in accepting and clearing any contestant before becoming the chosen candidate of any political position.

People should also be extra careful in deciding the kind of persons they would render their mandate to.

They should also be too vigilant and conscious in their communities. Local vigilant groups should be encouraged and any kind of problem noticed should be reported to the security agents asap.

May we have a peaceful election in the state and the whole nation.

Amina writes from Kano. She can be reached at [email protected]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and does not necessarily reflects the views of WikkiTimes