Reprieve will soon come the way of at least 1600 repentant thugs in Kano State as the state Government confirmed plans to grant amnesty to them under its ‘safe corridor’ initiative designed to tackle political thuggery and youth restiveness in the state.
Ibrahim Abdullahi-Waiya, the state Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, confirmed the development on Wednesday, 20 August 2025 while speaking during the inauguration of the programme. at the state police command headquarters in Kano, the state capital.
Waiya, who disclosed that no fewer than 718 youths had already been profiled, also disclosed that additional 960 were awaiting police validation before being enrolled in to the programme.
“His Excellency, Governor Abba Yusuf is so much concerned about this (thuggery menace) because the development is very much ugly and it doesn’t really speak good of the image of the state.
“And that is why His Excellency decided to initiate this project as a deliberate and very intentional project with a view to addressing this,” Waiya said, adding that the youths would undergo drug tests, rehabilitation, and reintegration into society.
“We know very well some of the youth that are actually involved in this, it’s not their own intention, it’s not their own interest, but they were actually lured into that by some evil-minded politicians, which we really look at and see that it is really unacceptable.
“This government is not going to accept this, and we’re not really going to allow this to continue in the state,” he added.
The commissioner, who said the state governor would grant amnesty after police validation, said“Having granted amnesty, then they are going to be free from all accusations or from anything to do with any crime, and they will now be considered as innocent as everybody,” he said.
