The political tension in Kano has continued to escalate as the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the appearance of Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, spokesperson to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
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This latest police invitation is linked to the controversial 2024 suspension of the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje — a political heavyweight in the state.
The police believe Dawakin-Tofa played a major role in orchestrating the events that led to Ganduje’s temporary removal by his ward’s party executives.
In an official letter dated May 23, 2025, the IGP requested the Kano State Government to release Dawakin-Tofa for questioning.
The letter, signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Akin Fakorede, stated that the governor’s aide is being investigated for criminal defamation, impersonation, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace. The police have asked him to appear on May 29 before one of their top officers, SP Mojirode B. Obisiji, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
This is not the first time the police have gone after Dawakin-Tofa. In December 2024, a similar arrest order was issued over the same matter — a development that triggered a legal battle between the police and the Kano State Government.
At the heart of this saga is a long-standing political feud between Ganduje and Dawakin-Tofa, both of whom hail from the same area in Kano. Their rivalry dates back to 2015, when Ganduje, then governor-elect, allegedly ordered Dawakin-Tofa’s arrest over his opposition during that year’s election.
In 2024, Ganduje was suspended by the APC executive committee in his ward — a move the party later disowned, but one that stirred significant political ripples.
Fingers immediately pointed at Dawakin-Tofa, with Ganduje accusing him of plotting the entire affair to weaken his (Ganduje’s) political standing in Kano.
In response to the initial police action last year, Dawakin-Tofa secured a court order shielding him from arrest, detention, or harassment.
The injunction covered not only the IGP but also the DSS, Civil Defence, and senior police officers involved in the case. However, that legal protection has not stopped the latest police action.
His legal team has since appealed a ruling by a Kano High Court that dismissed his suit against Ganduje and the police, hoping the Court of Appeal will grant him relief.
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