By Tijjani Sarki
Hope is no longer just a dream in Kano it’s taking form in action, compassion, and leadership.
As a guest at the official flag-off ceremony for profiling repentant youths under the Safe Corridor Initiative (Tudun Mun Tsira) on Wednesday, 20th August 2025, at the Kano Police Command Headquarters, I witnessed not merely a public event but the birth of a transformative journey. It was an emotional reminder that youths once feared as threats are in fact assets longing to be rediscovered.
The atmosphere reached a spiritual crescendo when Sheikh Aminu Daurawa, Commander-General of the Kano Hisbah Board, stepped forward to recite the Introductory Chapter of Kitabul Al-Khairi a revered Islamic text detailing the proper steps for repentance and divine forgiveness. But what moved the hall wasn’t just the Sheikh’s eloquence. It was the response the very youths once dismissed as thugs began translating the Arabic into Hausa, word for word, with joyful precision. Their faces lit with understanding and pride. This was no accident it was proof that they possess Islamic knowledge, moral conscience, and only lacked the right guidance.
At that moment, the narrative shifted. These were not criminals they were sons of the soil, ready for redemption.
SAFE CORRIDOR: A BOLD BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE AND PURPOSE
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, in championing this non-kinetic approach, is reminding us that the path to peace is not paved with force but with foresight.
The Safe Corridor initiative is designed to rehabilitate, empower, and reintegrate youths previously involved in political thuggery and drug abuse. Already, 718 youths have been profiled, with 960 more undergoing validation by the police. This isn’t symbolism it’s a structured, data-driven strategy for long-term peace.
The programme engages the Nigeria Police Force, NDLEA, Hisbah Board, and community stakeholders. Each youth will undergo drug screening, rehabilitation, psychological support, and moral reorientation. Governor Yusuf’s pledge of amnesty underscores his belief that every youth deserves a second chance a clean break from the past and a renewed stake in society.
This isn’t leniency. It’s visionary leadership.
INSPIRED OBSERVERS: ACADEMIA COMMENDS KANO’S VISION
Among the honoured guests at the event was a distinguished delegation of academics from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, led by Professor Isma’ila Shehu, who expressed deep admiration for the initiative. Speaking during the event, Prof. Shehu urged the youths to embrace the programme with sincerity and an open heart, reminding them that “your future lies in the choices you make today.” He emphasized that they must commit to becoming productive, respected members of society.
Professor Shehu shared that their visit to Kano was a fact-finding and knowledge-sharing mission, intended to learn new ideas and explore impactful solutions to the region’s most pressing issues. He highlighted the Safe Corridor as one of those bright ideas calling it a “trailblazing initiative that places Kano once again as the light of Northern Nigeria.” He and his colleagues from ABU expressed joy and pledged to take the success story back to Zaria for academic and policy engagement.
COMMUNITY VOICES OF HOPE AND SUPPORT
Also present was Elder Alhaji Gidado Mukhtar, a respected elder statesman and community leader, who couldn’t hide his delight. Speaking with warm emotion, he said, “This initiative is a dream many of us prayed for a platform to save our youth from the streets and bring them back to dignity.” He called on the state government to ensure that the programme becomes continuous and sustainable, noting that “no investment is greater than investing in the future of our children.”
COMMISSIONER WAIYA: TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND HOPE
In a powerful speech, Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi-Waiya, the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs and the coordinator of the Safe Corridor initiative, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to honesty, openness, and effectiveness in implementing the programme.
He assured the public that every stage of the process from police profiling to NDLEA testing and Hisbah moral screening will be conducted with full transparency. He reiterated Governor Yusuf’s promise that special amnesty, employment, skills acquisition, and empowerment programmes will be made available to the reformed youths and that no youth who repents will be left behind.
Waiya also made a passionate appeal to communities, local businesses, and civil society to lend their hands and hearts to ensure the full actualization of the initiative. “This project will not be a one-off,” he declared. “It is a continuous effort, and we will do everything necessary to ensure it becomes a reference point in peacebuilding.”
GOVERNOR YUSUF: A LEADER FOR THE LOST AND THE HOPEFUL
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf deserves recognition not just for launching this programme but for leading with empathy and action. In a country where many leaders dismiss youth challenges as burdens, he is demonstrating that the youth are a foundation to be built upon, not a problem to be feared.
By creating pathways to employment, skills development, and moral reintegration, the Governor is not merely fighting crime he’s fostering productivity, peace, and purpose.
This initiative is proof that when a leader listens, believes, and invests in his people, transformation follows.
UNITED FOR PEACE: SECURITY, SPIRITUALITY, AND COMMUNITY IN HARMONY
The success of this initiative is powered by unprecedented collaboration.
CP Ibrahim Adamu-Bakori, the Commissioner of Police, described it as a “strategic step toward lasting peace” and rightfully so. His open appeal to the youth to “lay down arms and embrace peace” reflected the deep commitment of the Police to sustainable solutions.
Sheikh Aminu Daurawa and the Hisbah Board are not merely partners they are the moral compass of this mission. His offer to include reformed youths in mass weddings, once they prove themselves, gives a dignified path to social acceptance and family stability.
The support of traditional rulers, particularly the Sarkin Shanun Kano, has brought weight and cultural legitimacy to the programme. His presence and public endorsement serve as a powerful reminder that traditional institutions remain central to the solution.
THE YOUTH: NOT PROBLEMS BUT PARTNERS IN PROGRESS
Let it be said loud and clear Kano’s youths are not the problem they are the solution waiting to be unlocked. What they lacked wasn’t worth it was direction, opportunity, and mentorship.
Now, under this initiative, they are becoming entrepreneurs, artisans, peacemakers, and community builders. As one reformed youth, Buzun Kida, declared passionately: “The era of thuggery in Kano is over.”
That declaration is not just symbolic it’s a promise backed by policy and purpose.
BEYOND KANO: A MODEL FOR NATIONWIDE REFORM
The Safe Corridor Initiative should not stop at the borders of Kano. States across Nigeria must take note, adapt, and adopt this model.
Nigeria cannot police its way out of youth restiveness but we can guide, empower, and invest our way into lasting peace.
This initiative proves that national security begins with human dignity.
A NEW DAWN IN KANO A LIGHT FOR NIGERIA
As I watched those young men whisper “Ameen” to every prayer, eyes full of promise, I saw the future a future not anchored in punishment, but in possibility.
This is not the end of a programme. It is the beginning of a movement.
To Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, to CP Adamu-Bakori, to Ibrahim Abdullahi-Waiya, to Sheikh Daurawa, to the Sarkin Shanun Kano, to Elder Alh. Gidado Mukhtar, and to every officer, volunteer, academic, and community elder your names will be remembered not just for what you said but for what you made possible.
To the youths your past does not define you. Your future begins now wide open like the Safe Corridor you now walk.
Sarki writing from Zawaciki,Kano
21st August,2025
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