The Katsina State chapter of the Coalition of Northern Groups has demanded the immediate, unconditional release of public affairs analyst Bashir Kurfi, a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, who was remanded in police custody last Wednesday over claims the state government sponsored bandit leaders for the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.
In a statement, CNG state coordinator Abdullahi Kabir accused the state government of using the police and judiciary as instruments of political vendetta against Kurfi, calling the use of fabricated charges and a manipulated judicial process to keep him detained an act of political repression aimed at silencing someone exposing the government’s failures. Rather than tackling the alarming reality of relentless bandit attacks in the state, the coalition argued, the government is instead trying to suppress dissenting voices on governance and security, and urged the Nigeria Police Force to focus on confronting the criminal elements terrorising communities across Katsina and the wider North rather than participating in what it called political witch hunts.
The statement demanded Kurfi’s immediate and unconditional release, withdrawal of every politically motivated action against him, and an end to the intimidation of journalists, analysts, activists and citizens who speak out on matters of public interest, warning that history has repeatedly shown governments that suppress dissent instead of addressing legitimate grievances only accelerate the erosion of public confidence. The coalition reaffirmed its commitment to resisting every attempt to silence truth and to demanding accountability from those entrusted with protecting the lives and property of citizens.
