Kannywood Stars Back Ribadu’s Grassroots Security Strategy; Hail “Human-Centric” Approach
Veteran filmmakers and actors in the Kannywood industry have thrown their weight behind a new community-based security framework championed by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
The creative practitioners described Ribadu’s strategy as a masterclass in modern security management, noting that it shifts the focus from purely kinetic force to building vigilance, trust, and cooperation at the grassroots level.
The endorsement came during a strategic advocacy and humanitarian event at the PRNigeria Centre in Kano on Monday. The engagement, championed by popular comic actor Musa Abdullahi (Mai Sana’a) on behalf of the Office of the NSA, combined security sensitization with the distribution of 50kg bags of rice and cash donations to 25 elderly female actresses in the industry.
“See Something, Say Something”: The Creative Shield
Industry veterans emphasized that the NSA’s “See Something, Say Something” campaign resonates deeply within the North because filmmakers reach millions of households daily.
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Hajiya Zulaihatu Bebebji, the screen icon known as “Yaya Hanne” in the hit series Kishiyata, described filmmakers as natural security partners. “When respected voices in the arts speak about peace and vigilance, people listen,” she stated. “This approach shows that the NSA understands how communities really work—not just through uniforms, but through cultural influence.”
Securing Livelihoods Through Vigilance
The link between peace and the creative economy was a recurring theme. Hafsat Bashir Na’Dije noted that insecurity is a direct threat to the Northern economy, which includes the multi-billion naira film sector.
“Helping security agencies is helping ourselves,” Na’Dije remarked. “Once insecurity sets in, creativity stops, work stops, and progress halts. Community cooperation is no longer optional; it is a necessity for our survival.”
Security as a Shared Responsibility
Leading the advocacy, Mai Sana’a explained that the intervention was designed to remind citizens that the first line of defense is their immediate environment.
“The message from Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is that security is a shared responsibility,” Mai Sana’a told the beneficiaries. “We all want to move freely and visit our loved ones, but that peace depends on communities actively supporting our agencies. Actors have a duty to amplify messages that promote unity and timely reporting of suspicious activities.”
The engagement concluded with a pledge from the veteran actresses to serve as “security ambassadors” in their respective neighborhoods, ensuring that the collective duty of crime prevention remains a priority.
By PRNigeria
