FOLLOWING his return to Kano State after his dethronement, the former emir Ado Bayero made his way to the mini palace along Nasarawa in the ancient city of Kano under the protection of security officials believed to be soldiers of the Nigerian Army on Saturday, May 25.
This is despite an order for his arrest by the State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
According to a report, the state deputy governor, Aminu Gwarzo, accused the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu of aiding Bayero’s return.
Videos of vehicles said to be Bayero’s convoy driving through the city in the company of at least six trucks filled with security operatives have also been circulated across various social media platforms.
Since he was deposed, Bayero had not been in Kano but only returned to the city early on Saturday morning.
The Nasarawa palace is different from the emir’s main palace in the city.
Bayero was welcomed by his supporters, who chanted verses from Surah Al-Fatihah in the Holy Quran in his honour.
Yusuf ordered Bayero’s arrest after his return on Saturday morning immediately the governor learnt of of the deposed emir’s arrival in the city.
A statement by the director-general (DG), Media and Publicity, Kano Government House, Sanusi Tofa, disclosed that the order was to prevent the former emir from causing tension in the state.
“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,” the statement read.
Ado Bayero 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, 2024, 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.