With the post-independence violence in Nigeria, which heightened significantly following the assassination of Premier Sir Ahmadu Bello (from Sokoto) in 1966, Maccido played a key role helping his father in trying to ease the violence. In Sokoto, a crowd of angry Muslims advanced toward the Catholic Church aiming to destroy the building as part of general anger towards Igbos and Christians. Maccido and Marafa, a son-in-law to Ahmadu Bello, met the crowd and convinced them to disperse preventing destruction of the church.