On this day, May 18 in 1953, atleast thirty-two people were killed during Muslim-Nationalist riots for independence in Nigeria.
The riots, which began as a protest, turned violent after the situation worsened and turned into an interethnic crisis on May 17 when hooligan mobs from Kano’s northern section, particularly Fagge, attempted to infiltrate the southern, Igbo-dominated Sabon Gari area.
Despite their initial chants being anti-Yoruba, the majority of those killed in the Sabon Gari area were Igbos.
Additionally, it was alleged that violent attacks and shoplifting occurred in the Sabon Gari Market. However, the Native Authority police and the Army were summoned in and stopped more hooligans from entering the Kano region.
The fighting also spread to native Kano communities like Fagge, where small, disorganized groups of people from various ethnic groups engaged in combat.
To calm the tension, prisoners were exchanged; Northerners and Southerners who had been detained were both freed; Northerners in the Sabon Gari area were asked to leave, while Southerners in the Fagge area were asked to temporarily relocate to Sabon Gari.
Over 200 individuals were treated for injuries during the confrontation, and over 46 Nigerians, predominantly Northerners and Igbos, lost their lives.
Although the colonial authority in Nigeria immediately referred to it as an interethnic riot, the political leaders described it as a political riot between those who want self-governance and those who want imperialism to continue in 1956.
