Sanusi: Police End Siege To Emir's Palace

 

The police on Thursday ended their four-day siege to the palatial official residence of the traditional ruler of Kano Emirate.

The police had on Monday deployed   armed officers and men in the palace following   a series of protests by some youths   who kicked against the appointment of a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, as the new Emir of Kano.

The PUNCH gathered on Thursday that following the end of the siege, preparations were   being put in place to ensure that   Sanusi, who had been ruling Kano from the state Government House since Monday, relocated to the palace.

Confirming the development, the Director of Press and Public Relations to Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, Baba Dantiye, told one of our correspondents on the telephone, that Sanusi would move into the place within the next few days.

“I just got the information that the police have left the palace. Preparations will now start to ensure that the emir relocates to the palace,” he said.

But Dantiye noted that since   policemen had also been   withdrawn from the Government House, Kano youths had taken over the responsibility of guarding the place.

“Patriotic young men are guarding the Government House now as a result of the withdrawal of policemen by the federal authorities,” Dantiye wrote in a post on his Facebook page on Thursday.

Sanusi is expected to lead the 7th day Fidau prayers for the late Emir, Ado Bayero, on Friday (today) by 12 noon.

It was gathered that the new traditional ruler will subsequently lead Muslim faithful in Kano during the Friday Jumat prayers.

The new Emir on Thursday received the leader of Tijjaniyya sect in Africa, Khalifa Sheikh Isiyaka Rabi’u,   at the Government House.

According to a message on Dantiye’s Facebook page, Rabi’u offered prayers to God to grant the new emir protection and wisdom to rule over his people.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress lawmakers   in the House of Representatives disagreed on Thursday over the allegation by Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso that President Goodluck Jonathan was behind the crisis that followed the appointment of Mallam Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of Kano.

Kwankwaso, who also said Jonathan had no business in the appointment of Sanusi as an emir, said it was worrisome that he (President)   was meddling in the affairs of Kano State.

The governor had spoken during   an interview with a cross-section of journalists on Tuesday. Excerpt of the interview was posted on the Twitter handle of Kwankwaso and the Facebook page of his Director of Press and Public Realations, Baba Dantiye.

Kwankwaso had called on Nigerians and the international community to hold Jonathan liable if anything ontoward happened to him, his family and the people of his state.

“I have told my friends, and people of Kano, other Nigerians and indeed the international community to hold Jonathan responsible for whatever happens to Kwankwaso, his family or even the people of Kano State,” he had stated on Wednesday.