Kano State Government has denied banishing the dethroned Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II, from the state, according to the Attorney-General of the state, Ibrahim Muktar.

The AG, while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020 said that Kano State Government made it clear in its press release on Monday, March 9th that Sanusi was dethroned but never refer to any form of banishment.

If you listen to the Secretary to the State Government when he was addressing the press on the issue of the removal of the emir from office, there was no where he stated that the emir was banished from Kano State.

So, the decision of the government when the emir was removed on Monday was that he was removed from office and a new one appointed. The issue of banishment was not part of the decision of the Kano State Government.

We have been hearing from the media that he has been banished but what I know is that he was taken out of Kano State but banishment was not part of our decision. There is no such decision to the best of my knowledge.

Muktar said security operatives made a decision to remove Sanusi away from Kano State because of intelligence reports they had gathered. He said it was a standard procedure for dethroned emirs to be taken away to another state, in order to maintain peace in Kano. He added that such an action did not contravene the constitution which guarantees deposed emirs freedom of movement. Muktar further said that it was not because of the corruption probe that the government removed Sanusi, but strictly because of his insubordination.

He said,

The state government has not taken the law into its hands. Let me explain that the decision to remove the emir from office is administrative and was not based on the issues pending before the court. All the issues pending before the court have nothing to do with the removal of the emir or the dethronement.

Kano State Government removed Sanusi on Monday after years of feud between the former Central Bank of Nigeria governor and the governor of the state, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. Sanusi has been residing in Nasarawa State since his dethronement on Monday and according to his lawyers, he has been denied access to visitors.

“Sanusi was forced to Nasarawa”

The deposed Emir’s legal team said he had wanted to relocate to Lagos following his dethronement, but was forced into the plane to Nasarawa State by the government’s agents. In a statement on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020, signed by Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud on behalf of the deposed emir’s legal team, said:

I was at the Palace yesterday [Monday] afternoon in the company of one of my colleagues to consult with the Emir.

We met him in good spirit in company of his family and a few associates. He said to us that he was waiting for the deposition letter from the Government House and was informed that the Commissioner of Police was on his way along with certain government officials.

I subsequently, along with my colleagues was able to meet with the Commissioner of Police and other security operatives and with the permission of the emir, they were led to one of his sitting rooms where the deposition letter was served on him by an agent of the State Government.

In the letter of deposition, it was stated that the Emir was to be removed to Nassarawa State. We requested to know if he was under arrest and if so we needed to see the warrant.

The Commissioner of Police informed us that he was not under arrest. We informed the Commissioner of Police that it was illegal and violation of his constitutional rights to remove him to Nassarawa State against his wish.

The Emir informed the Commissioner of Police that his friends had sent an aircraft to fly him and his family to Lagos and requested that they should be provided with necessary security to the airport so that he could leave.

The Commissioner refused, saying that was not their instruction.

Flavision gathered that the deposed emir is under detension in the personal house of the Chairman of Awe Local Government Area (L.G.A.) in Nasarawa State, Alhaji Umar Dan-Akano.

Police respond

The Force headquarters in Abuja has denied that it had any hand in Sanisi’s banishment. The Force spokesman, Frank Mba, said it was purely an internal affair of Kano State, and advised our correspondents to get in touch with Kano State Police Command.

Flavision is currently making efforts to get in touch with Kano State Police Command, in order to hear their side of the story.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.