A MAGISTRATE court sitting in Noman’s land, Kano, on Tuesday remanded popular political commentator, Dan Bilki Kwamanda, in prison custody.
The court adjourned to Monday, January 29th for his bail application.
This newspaper gathered that before his arrraignment, the Department of State Services (DSS) had arrested Kwamanda, over his alleged threat to mobilise the masses to start an uprising and make Kano ungovernable.
A senior official of the secret police in Kano confirmed to this newspaper that the controversial politician, known for his critical takes on issues on local radio in the state, was arrested after a video of one of his latest interviews on a radio station went viral and was brought to the attention of the security agencies.
The official, who asked not to be named, revealed that after the arrest, Kwamanda was handed over to the police and was subsequently charged before a Magistrate Court in the state, thereafter ordered his remand in a correctional facility.
This newspaper gathered that in the interview that triggered Kwamanda’s arrest, he alleged that the leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, had concluded plans to restore Muhammadu Sanusi, 14th Emir of Kano.
Kwamanda, in the video, which was shared with our reporter, could be heard saying he would mobilise the masses to take over the streets of Kano and start an uprising so large and destructive that the federal government would be forced to declare a state of emergency in Kano.
This newspaper also gathered that since after the Supreme Court judgment which affirmed the election of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf as Kano state governor, Kwamanda had granted several interviews on local radio stations expressing his dissatisfaction with the judgment and faulting President Bola Tinubu for allegedly not ensuring that the All Progressives Congress (APC) retains the state.
He had also join others to criticize the recent moves by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to relocate some of its staff to Lagos from Abuja, as well as the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria’s (FAAN) decision to also relocate its headquarters in Abuja to Lagos, alleging that these were all parts of the plan of the Tinubu-led administration to cripple the northern part of the country.
