The Association of Former Local Government Chairmen in Kano State (ALGON Integrity Group) has strongly refuted a misleading report circulating  alleging that former chairmen endorsed the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, as the preferred APC governorship candidate for 2027.

Reacting to the claim, the Chairman of the Association and former Chairman of Kumbotso Local Government, Hon. Hassan Garban Kauye Farawa, described the report as false, baseless, and entirely fabricated. He urged APC members in Kano State and across the country to disregard the misinformation.

Hon. Farawa clarified that at the very time the alleged endorsement meeting was said to have taken place in Abuja, most of the former local government chairmen were physically in Kano State, attending their routine periodic meeting.

> “It is surprising and frankly laughable that anyone would claim we held a meeting in Abuja while we were clearly in Kano,” he stated.

He emphasized that the APC has a clear and respected leadership hierarchy, headed by the former Governor of Kano State, former National Chairman of the APC, and political leader of the party in Kano, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Khadimul Islam), along with other senior stakeholders. He stressed that only the recognized leadership of the party has the authority to outline proper procedures and guidelines for selecting candidates.

Hon. Farawa condemned attempts by individuals or groups to cause confusion within the APC, noting that such efforts are divisive, unnecessary, and ultimately counterproductive.

He urged party members to remain steadfast, united, and committed to strengthening the APC as preparations for the 2027 general elections begin.

It should be recalled that a similar disclaimer was recently issued by former members of the Kano State House of Assembly as well as former commissioners who served under Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. All of them firmly denied ever endorsing Senator Barau for the 2027 governorship race.

The Northern Youth Assembly (NYA) has strongly criticised a recent publication by Daily Trust titled “Kano New Bandits Frontier”, describing it as misleading, distortive, and lacking empirical evidence. The article, authored by Clement A. Oloyede and published on December 2, 2025, was said to have created unnecessary panic rather than providing factual enlightenment on security issues.

In a statement signed by NYA President, Dr. Aliyu Mohammed, and Secretary General, Dr. Hafiz Garba, the group argued that portraying Kano as a “new bandits frontier” was false and amounted to a deliberate attempt to smear the image of a state that has historically resisted insecurity. The Assembly insisted that the report ignored verifiable facts and failed to present balanced perspectives.

According to Dr. Mohammed, the criminal elements troubling border communities in Kano were seeded and emboldened under the previous administration. He alleged that the past government failed to address youth unemployment, which pushed thousands into drugs, thuggery, and criminality, while also allowing gangs to flourish due to lack of political will.

The statement further accused the former administration of withdrawing police personnel from known flashpoints and redeploying them to guard the Nassarawa royal graveyard, which was allegedly converted into a refuge camp by a deposed Emir. Dr. Garba noted that this left vulnerable communities exposed and neglected border intelligence operations, thereby enabling bandits to move freely between Katsina and Kano.

Highlighting current efforts, the NYA commended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for adopting stronger and more coordinated approaches to security. Dr. Mohammed explained that the administration’s Safe Corridor Project had absorbed over 5,000 repentant youths in its first phase, fully profiled them in partnership with security agencies, and engaged them in community security and intelligence gathering. He stressed that this marked the first time in Kano’s recent history that insecurity was being tackled through both non-kinetic and enforcement measures.

The Assembly also pointed to Governor Yusuf’s unwavering support for security agencies. Dr. Garba stated that the governor had consistently provided operational support, strengthened collaboration with the Army’s Brigade Command, funded logistics and surveillance units, and rehabilitated abandoned security infrastructure. He argued that these actions contradicted claims that the government was weak on security.

The NYA accused certain political actors of sabotaging peace efforts by exploiting the emirate crisis for political mileage and influencing selective withdrawal of security personnel. Dr. Mohammed said no serious security analysis could ignore these realities, yet the Daily Trust article deliberately omitted them.

The group further noted that even within the article, the author admitted Katsina’s controversial “peace deal” with bandits had created safe havens for criminals, turning border villages into transit routes. Dr. Garba emphasised that bandits operate from Katsina, not Kano, and that the state government had responded to attacks in Tsanyawa, Shanono, and Ghari by deploying joint military and intelligence structures, providing humanitarian support, and reinforcing surveillance across border local governments.

The NYA urged the public to disregard the Daily Trust publication, describing it as politically coloured and intellectually dishonest. “Constructive criticism is welcome, but falsehood, political sensationalism, and deliberate misrepresentation are reprehensible and condemnable,” Dr. Mohammed stated. He reaffirmed the Assembly’s support for the Kano State Government’s efforts to keep the state peaceful, secure, and stable.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

This newspaper gathered that Nigeria has had five past Ministers of Defense who have military backgrounds before the recently appointed General Christopher Musa, making them six.

Below are the profiles of the past five Ministers:

1.General Theophilus Danjuma

Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma GCON FSS psc (born 9 December 1938) is a Nigerian politician and retired lieutenant general who played a key role in post-independence military and political events in Nigeria. Danjuma amassed an enormous fortune through shipping and petroleum.

He was Chief of Army Staff from July 1975 to October 1978. He was also Minister of Defence under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration from 1999 to 2003.

2.General Godwin Abbe

Godwin Osagie Abbe (10 January 1949 – 21 December 2024) was a Nigerian Army Major General who served as minister of defence from 2009 to 2010. He also served as minister of interior from 2007 to 2009.

Godwin Abbe joined the military in 1967 as a private, was commissioned second lieutenant in July 1968, and was promoted colonel in 1986. He served during the Nigerian Civil War. He earned a postgraduate diploma in International Relations from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife.

He was military governor of Akwa Ibom State 1988–1990) and Rivers State (1990–1991).

3.General Aliyu Gusau

Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (born 18 May 1943) is a Nigerian general and statesman. He has held several high level national security, military and intelligence offices, and has participated in several military coups, playing a central role in founding the Fourth Nigerian Republic.

He was most recently the Minister of Defence who had served as National Security Adviser to three presidents–Ibrahim Babangida(1993), Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2006), Goodluck Jonathan (2010). Gusau was also the Chief of Army Staff during Ernest Shonekan and briefly Sani Abacha’s regime, headed different intelligence agencies, and was commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy.

The army added his birthplace to his name, making “Aliyu Mohammed Gusau”, to distinguish him from another General, Aliyu Mohammed. Although Aliyu does not himself use Gusau in his name, it has been widely adopted by the media.

In 1964, he enrolled as an officer cadet at the Nigerian Defence Academy and was commissioned three years into the Nigerian Army as a second lieutenant. In 1967, he fought during the Nigerian Civil War.

4.General Bashir Salihi

Bashir Salihi Magashi CFR CON (born 1 October 1949) is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the defence minister of Nigeria from 2019 to 2023. He served as governor of Sokoto State from August 1990 to January 1992 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, and as commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy from 1998 to 1999.

Magashi was admitted to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1968 and commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1971 as a member of the 5th Regular Combatant Course. He also attended the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, where he obtained an advanced diploma in public administration, LL.B. Honors and a call to the Nigerian Bar with a BL Hons in 1984.

He started his career as a platoon commander and later became company commander at the historic and elite 6 infantry Battalion of the Nigerian Army. Magashi was later deployed as adjutant 1st Guards Battalion and later commander of The 4 Guards battalion in Epe Lagos; He was also commander, 93 Mechanized Battalion and commander, 192 Mechanized Battalion.

5.General Mansur Dan Ali

Mansur Muhammad Dan Ali(born 25 August 1959) is a retired Nigerian Army brigadier general and former Minister of Defence of Nigeria appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015.

Dan-Ali was born on August 25, 1959, in Zamfara State. He attended Birnin Magaji Town Primary School (1966 -1972) for his elementary education and Government Secondary School, Shinkafi (1972-1977) for his secondary education. He received his Higher National Diploma (HND) in Photogrammetric and Surveying from Kaduna Polytechnic (1977-1982) and possesses a master’s degrees in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) from Bayero University Kano (2004-2005) and a master’s degree in Security Studies from the Bangladesh University of Professionals (2009).

Dan Ali was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army in 1984 through the Short Service Commission at the Nigerian Defence Academy.