Kano Emirate Crisis: Residents chase Sanusi’s representative out of Rano

Residents of Rano Emirate on Tuesday chased out a man posted by the reinstated Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, to run their scrapped emirate pending the determination of a court case on the emirate crisis in the state.

The representative arrived in the town Tuesday morning, escorted by top political appointees from the area, including the senior special assistant to the governor on private schools, Ibrahim Yaluwa, and the local council caretaker chairperson, Dahiru Yakubu.

However, some angry residents stoned the team members shortly after local government officials set up a tent in front of the palace of the sacked Rano emir for the representative to receive allegiance from village heads.

On Wednesday, a resident, Sabiu Ibrahim, told reporters that the delegation was forced to retreat to the local government secretariat under police protection.

“He entered the town through Kibiya Local Government Area instead of the main Kano road,” Mr Ibrahim said

“They ran to the local government secretariat, where he briefly stayed before he was escorted out by the police DPO.”

The mob vandalised the official Prado SUV of the district head of Rano, Mannir Abubakar, that conveyed the emir’s representative.

Another resident, Garba Rano, said the mob also vandalised motorcycles belonging to members of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) in the local government area.

The police spokesperson in Kano, Abdullahi Kiyawa, could not be immediately reached to comment on the development.

Residents said there was still tension in Rano town on Wednesday as local hunters occupied the local government secretariat.

The incident in Rano was the second in the state in less than a week.

Daily Trust newspaper reported how the emir’s representative suffered the same fate at Karaye, another of the four scrapped emirates after angry residents attacked him.

Like in Rano, the police spirited the emir’s representative out of the town after his official vehicle was severely damaged.

The state House of Assembly on 23 May repealed the State Emirate Council Law 2019, under which former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje split Kano Emirate into five distinct units.

The law’s repeal means the dissolution of the emirates created in 2019 – Bichi, Rano, Gaya, and Karaye – and the sacking of their emirs.

The development restored Kano to being the only state in Nigeria with a single emirate council.

One of the dethroned Emirs, Aminu Ado-Bayero of Kano, is challenging his removal in court and has occupied the mini palace of the emirate at the Nassarawa GRA.