KANO State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has ordered the arrest of one of the recently deposed emirs, Aminu Ado Bayero.
This was disclosed in a statement by the director-general, media and publicity, Kano Government House, Sanusi Tofa, on Saturday, May 25.
According to the statement, Bayero is to be arrested for allegedly creating tension in the state and attempting to return to the palace forcefully.
“The Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has ordered the immediate arrest of the former Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, for creating tension in the state. The former Emir was smuggled into Kano city last night in an attempt to forcefully return to the palace two days after being deposed by the governor.
“As the chief security officer of the state, his excellency, the executive governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has directed the commissioner of police to arrest the deposed emir with immediate effect for disturbing public peace and attempting to destroy the relative peace the state enjoys,” the statement stated.
Bayero had returned to Kano early on Saturday morning to what was described as a hero’s welcome.
According to a report, his supporters welcomed him upon his arrival at the Aminu Kano International Airport on Saturday, chanting a verse from Surah Al-Fatihah in the Holy Quran.
This occurred shortly before the order for his arrest was issued.
He was dethroned as Emir of Kano along with four other emirs on Thursday, May 23.
The dethronement of the emirs followed the amendment of the Emirate Council Law of 2019 by lawmakers in the state.
The Emirate Council Law came into existence under the previous administration led by former Kano governor Abdullahi Ganduje, creating five emirates in the state.
After the five emirates were created, Ganduje deposed the former emir, Lamido Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and replaced him with Bayero.
However, the recent abolishment of the five emirates paved the way for the return of the single emirate system in the state, vesting the constitutional powers to appoint emirs in the governor alone.
The current governor immediately reinstated Sanusi as emir and handed him an appointment letter on Friday, May 24, despite an existing court order restricting him from doing so.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.