The Department of State Services (DSS), has detained four leaders of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) who are planning to stage protests over insecurity in the North.
The Northern region is bedevilled by Boko Haram insurgency, banditry and kidnapping.
There is ongoing widespread protests across the country to bring an end to police brutality and proscription of a rogue police unit (SARS).
In a statement on Saturday, the spokesperson for CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said the secret police is determined to suppress the voice of Northerners.
“#EndInsecurityNow protests against the rampant killings in northern Nigeria and displacement of hundreds of communities has come under intense pressure and intimidation in the last few hours by the DSS which is hell bent on suppressing the tearful voice of the northerner.
“The development saw officials of the CNG Nastura Ashir Sharif, Balarabe Rufai, Aminu Adam and Dr Muhammad Nawaila being invited by the DSS in Kano where they were held from 11pm Friday to 2.15am Saturday.
“Throughout their stay at the DSS office, they were incommunicado not answering calls on their phones and not returning same. We are on the alert,” he said in the statement.
