1953 Kano Riot: Causes and Implications by Andrew Oforma Eze

            1953 Kano Riot

     Kano riot was a political crisis mainly between northerners and southerners in ancient city of Kano in May 1953. The nature of the riot was clashes between Northerners who were opposed to self-government and Southerners made up of the Yorubas and the Igbos under the aegis of the Action Group (AG) and the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroon (NCNC) who supported self-government for Nigeria in 1956. The political riot lasted for four days.  Many lives were lost and many persons were wounded.

The Causes of 1953 Kano Riot

The immediate cause of the crisis was the motion of self-government moved in the Federal House of Representatives by a member of Action Group (AG) Chief Anthony Enahoro in 1953 on the need for Nigeria to attain self-government in 1956 from British imperial masters. The Northern representatives under the aegis of the Northern People's Congress (NPC) did not accept the motion on the ground that the north will not be ready for self-government at the time proposed.
The leader of the Northern People's Congress (NPC) and the Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, in a swift-motion, replaced “in the year 1956” as stated by Enahoro with the adverbial phrase of time “as soon as practicable”. Another Northern member of the House in order to kill the motion immediately moved a motion for adjournment, a motion which Southern members of AG and NCNC viewed as a delay tactics and a technical way of rejecting the proposed self-government. As result of the counter-motion and subsequent adjournment motion, all the AG and NCNC members in the house staged a walk-out.
When the Northern People's Congress (NPC) representatives came out from the House, the news of what happened in the House had been circulated across Lagos city mainly dominated by southerners. The Northern leaders were confronted by hostile crowds in Lagos who insulted, booed, maligned and called them many unprintable names for their infamous action. As result of the humiliation, the Northern delegates were infuriated and exasperated when they left Lagos.
Hence, in swift reaction they issued a statement termed "Eight Point Program" in the Northern Regional Legislative House, Lugard Hall Kaduna which they threatened to secede (breakaway) from Nigeria.
On May 16, 1953, southerners under the aegis of AG and NCNC led by Chief S.l. Akintola went to the North to enlighten and educate them more on the need (reasons) for Nigeria to attain self-government on 1956 as proposed.  The visit which was primarily aimed at campaigning for self-government acted as the immediate cause of the Kano riot. They (the delegates) were humiliated, assaulted and battered, by the Northern youths as a revenge or retaliation of humiliation their leaders suffered in Lagos when they opposed self-government motion. This resulted to serious political melee in Kano. The riot took place mainly Sabon Gari area predominantly occupied by southerner traders especially Igbos.
The fight breakout immediately because there was already growing tension in the North before the southern delegates went to Kano between May 15-17, 1953. The first clashes started out at the Colonial Hotel, on May 16, 1953. The hotel was bid to be the venue of a meeting by the Action Group led by Akintola. Before the meeting started, the Kano Native Authority withdrew its permission to grant the meeting. The outright withdrawal of the permission to hold the enlightenment meeting signaled danger to the AG delegates. Subsequently, northern mobs made up of youths gathered outside of the hotel and started stoning people close to the hotel. Two southerners were reported died instantly. In May 17, the irate youth moved to Sabon Gari mainly dominated by southerners.  The casualties in the Sabon Gari area were mostly Igbos, though their original chants were against the Yorubas. Shops and other business services in the Sabon Gari market were looted and dissimilated. The Native Authority police and the Army stepped up to their primary responsibility and prevented further escalation of the fracas. The riot further sprayed to another Kano area known as Fagge, where ethnic clash between northerners and southerners occurred.
The crisis was ameliorated as result of the intervention by the Native Authority Police and the Army but it did not douse the tension.  The tension was deescalated when the exchange of prisoners took place between the north and south. The southerners who were arrested were released and Northerners were also released. Furthermore, the northerners who occupied the Sabon Gari area as result of the crisis were asked to leave and Southerners in the Fagge area were also asked to move to Sabon Gari with immediate effect. An unofficial report showed that about 46 Nigerians mostly Northerners and Igbos died during the clash and more than 200 people sustained vary degree of injuries. The colonial authority called the crisis “an inter-ethnic riot” whereas the southern leader termed “a political riot between people who want self government in 1956 and those who want imperialism to continue”.

The Socio-political implications of 1953 Kano Riot
As we have noted, the wrong assumption by the AG and NCNC that Northern leaders were not representative of their people on the self-government issue and their decision to send delegations to the North on the issue were the immediate cause of the Kano riots of 1953. There is no doubt that the 1953 Kano riot constituted tons of negative implication in Nigeria polity considering the time it happened when Nigeria as a nation-state was under formation and supervision of British colonial masters. It signaled the first official “ethnic politics and quest for regional hegemony” between the north and south which have shrouded national unity and development in Nigeria up to date.  Other implications include: 

1. It created a suspicious relationship between north and south.
2. It led to the breakdown of the Macpherson constitution of 1951.
3. Lives and properties worth millions of the British West African Pound (the Nigeria currency then) were destroyed
4. It led to the formation of alliance between the AG and NCNC against NPC in the Federal House of Representatives.
It led to the postponement of attainment of Self-government in 1956.
5. It led to the adoption of Federal system of government in 1954. Sir Oliver Lyttelton, the Secretary of State for the Colonies then who later became the Governor General, noted that it is impossible for the regions to work together, and therefore representatives from each region will be invited to discuss a new Nigerian constitution.