NEWS
“Tinubu Must“ Go Movement Cries Out as Police Block Meeting Venue in Kano, Vows to Return
Members of the ‘Tinubu Must Go’ (TMG) movement have protested the alleged blockade of their planned meeting venue in Kano State by security operatives, accusing the police of attempting to suppress their fundamental rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and political association.
The incident occurred on Sunday, October 11, 2026, when members of the opposition-oriented movement gathered to hold a meeting aimed at mobilising Nigerians against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Abba Hikima, a lawyer and one of the conveners of the movement, raised the alarm in a live video broadcast on his verified Facebook page, alleging that heavily armed mobile police personnel had been deployed to prevent participants from accessing the venue they had reportedly paid to use for the gathering.
The TMG movement describes itself as a non-partisan platform established to promote public enlightenment and encourage Nigerians to vote out President Tinubu in the next general elections. The group said its campaign was driven by dissatisfaction with the Federal Government’s economic policies, which it claimed had worsened the hardship experienced by citizens.
In the video, Hikima, dressed in a shirt and fez cap bearing the inscription ‘Tinubu Must Go’, alleged that more than 10 mobile police vehicles had been stationed around the meeting venue, effectively preventing members from entering the premises. Several police officers were also visible in the background of the broadcast.
Expressing outrage over the development, Hikima described the alleged security deployment as an infringement on the group’s constitutional rights and argued that the incident reinforced the movement’s opposition to the Tinubu administration.
“Today, the 11th of October 2026, we gathered here in Kano State in order to exercise our fundamental human rights and to associate freely in order to exchange ideas and educate ourselves on the need to send away the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Nigeria.”
He maintained that the movement’s objective was to educate citizens and encourage political participation, insisting that its members had committed no offence by organising a meeting to express their political opinions.
“It is clear to Nigerians that Tinubu has failed. It is clear to all Nigerians that Tinubu has failed and there is need for Nigerians to come out and chase him away. But today as usual and as part of the entrenched and systemic corruption, insecurity and recklessness and injustice of this country, you can see already that over 10 vehicles of mobile police have been stationed.
“They have been stationed here in order to prevent us from accessing the private venue which we paid for; we are to gather here to exercise our civic rights… This is even the more reason why Tinubu must go.” Hikima said.
The lawyer further disclosed that he had spoken by telephone with the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, before the planned gathering.
According to him, the commissioner had advised that the security agency should be informed about the meeting.
Hikima, however, said he assured the police commissioner that the programme would take place in an enclosed environment and that the organisers, whom he identified as lawyers, intended to conduct themselves peacefully and within the confines of the law.
He rejected any suggestion that the gathering required police permission, arguing that the Constitution protects citizens’ rights to express their opinions and associate freely.
“We are not criminals, we are not thugs, we are not hooligans and we have not committed any offence. And there is nothing wrong with what we are doing right now.
“It is within the bounds of the law. I want to say it clearly that yesterday the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, called me on the phone and told me that courtesy demands that I inform them of this meeting. I said, ‘Sir, our meeting is going to be in an enclosed environment within a perimeter and we are going to be civil, we are lawyers’.
“The provision of the law is clear that you no longer need police permission to have any gathering. The way you do it in your weddings is the way we have the right to gather here in this event centre and hold this programme. This is our understanding and the law has given us the right, under section 39 of the Constitution, to exchange ideas and opinions.
“And we have the right, under section 40, to associate and we have the personal liberty, under section 35, to do this. The police are oppressors. Tinubu must go. It is now clear that you don’t want us to gather and say and chant Tinubu must go. One of them even told me that they have no problem with us but we just shouldn’t wear this insignia; But I say We must wear this.
“It is our right to do this. It is not insulting. It is not oppressive. It is nothing. It is entirely political and the ban on political campaigning is bitter. Therefore, we are going to do this. We are coming back. Yes, next time we are going to do it. We are doing it.
“The Court of Appeal decision stands. I do not need to inform any security agent to hold my rallies. Next time, we are going to protest; Next time we are going to demonstrate; next time we are going to hit the ground.” he added, amid chants of ‘Tinubu Must Go’.
The confrontation, as described by the movement, has renewed questions about the balance between public order and citizens’ constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and political expression, particularly as political activities begin to intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Hikima’s insistence that the movement would return for further gatherings suggested that the alleged police blockade had not deterred its organisers from pursuing their campaign. He warned that future activities could include protests and demonstrations, while supporters at the scene continued chanting the movement’s slogan.
However, the circumstances surrounding the police deployment remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.
The Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, did not answer telephone calls or respond to text messages and WhatsApp messages sent to him seeking clarification on why officers had allegedly barricaded the venue.
The police had therefore not publicly provided an explanation for the reported security presence, while the movement’s allegations remained unverified independently.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the incident highlights the growing political tensions surrounding opposition mobilisation and the importance of transparency in the handling of peaceful political gatherings. Whether the police will issue an official explanation or the movement will proc
eed with its promised return remains to be seen.