By Atoyebi Nike
The Kano State Government has announced plans to convert the century-old Kurmawa Maximum Security Prison into a museum, aiming to preserve the state’s colonial history and cultural legacy.
Originally established in 1910 by the British colonial authorities, the prison is located within the grounds of the Kano Emir’s Palace and was built to hold up to 690 inmates. For over a century, Kurmawa stood as a powerful symbol of colonial rule and penal administration in Northern Nigeria.
According to Ibrahim Adam, Special Adviser on Information to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, inmates currently held at the facility will be moved to a newer correctional centre in Janguza. He revealed the plan in a statement shared on his verified Facebook page late Sunday.
“The government of Kano State under Governor Abba K. Yusuf will relocate all inmates from Kurmawa to the Janguza Correctional Facility, and the Kurmawa site will be redeveloped into a museum that showcases historical artefacts and promotes the state’s rich cultural identity,” the adviser wrote.
The Janguza correctional facility, located close to a military barracks along the Kano-Gwarzo-Dayi Federal Highway, was constructed under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and has a capacity of about 3,000 inmates a significant expansion compared to Kurmawa’s original design.
The transformation project is seen as part of broader efforts by the state government to invest in cultural tourism and heritage conservation.
