A FIRE outbreak has reportedly destroyed a palace at Gidan Rumfa, the residence of the 16th Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi.
Daily Trust quoted sources in the palace, as saying that the incident occurred on Friday, July 12, around 11 pm.
Unknown arsonists allegedly set the palace on fire.
“It was the palace at Kofar Kudu. You know the palace has an entrance from inside while the main entrance is from the front (outside). The key was forced open and what was suspected was that they broke in, set the fire and locked the door.
The throne, air conditioners and other valuables in the palace have been destroyed,.” The source said.
In a statement, the Chief of Staff to the Emir, Munir Sanusi Bayero, Dan Buram Kano, also confirmed the incident.
“On Saturday, 13th July 2024 morning, a fire incident occurred at the outer court of His Highness’s Palace, Kofar Kudu. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and the damage was minimal,” part of the statement read.
The statement further noted that the palace was implementing all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of both the palace and its occupants while also investigating the cause of the fire and taking steps to prevent future incidents.
This comes some weeks after the emirship tussle between Sanusi Lamido and Ado Bayero, the reinstated and deposed emirs, respectively.
The ICIR reports that both emirs are holding court in separate palaces within Kano, the state capital.
While the reinstated emir Sanusi holds court at the main palace, Bayero is occupying the mini palace in Nasarawa, both in Kano.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org