A dramatic scene unfolded near the Gyadi-Gyadi flyover in Kano when a young man climbed to the top of a billboard and threatened to jump, drawing a large crowd of onlookers and prompting a swift response from firefighters and police personnel.
According to Daily Trust, “firefighters and police personnel quickly mobilised to the scene in an attempt to convince him to come down, but he remained defiant.”
While his motive was unclear, some bystanders claimed he had been on the billboard since around 9 a.m.
Some witnesses said he was frustrated by the rising cost of living and demanded to speak with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf before coming down.
Some onlookers mockingly encouraged him to jump so he could be buried on the spot, though he appeared undecided.
Police spokesperson SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, in a statement on his verified Facebook page, said the man insisted on seeing certain TikTok influencers.
The incident caused a massive traffic gridlock stretching to Zoo Road. Motorists trying to avoid the jam were caught in alternative route congestion around Court Road.
Sule Abba, a local resident, attributed the incident to hunger, calling for the crowd to disperse. Meanwhile, another onlooker, Salisu, jokingly noted that the man had become an internet sensation. After being on the billboard for hours, the man was eventually rescued and taken to a police hospital in Bompai, according to SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa.
