Kano State Police Command says it stopped a peaceful match against rape by Saint Louis Old Girls Association (SLOGA) on Tuesday as a result of security concerns.
The Police spokesman, DSP Magaji Majiya, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview that the command had earlier given full support to the march but changed the decision.
Majiya said that in view of the recent Boko Haram show down with the Police in some parts of the state on Sunday, the command advised the women to drop the march for security reasons.
He said that it was well known to every Kano citizen that the Police were at the forefront in terms of dealing with rape cases in the state.
He said there was no way the Police could stop the women from the march without a concrete reason.
The President of Saint Louis Girls Secondary School Old Girls Association, Hajiya Aisha Dankani, had issued a press statement accusing the state government and the Police of halting their proposed march.
She said that the “All Women March Against Rape” was organised by the association after consultation with the state government and the Emir of Kano.
“Rape is an unacceptable crime in every part of the world and we united to say ‘No to rape, No to sexual violence and enough is enough’,” she said.
NAN reports that SLOGA organised the match to create awareness on the alarming rate of rape cases and other forms of sexual violence in Kano.
The match was scheduled to hold on Tuesday morning but the Police cautioned the association on the security challenges in the state after a meeting with the state Police Commissioner.