The Nigeria Police Force has withdrawn its earlier invitation extended to Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi in connection with the unfortunate incident that occurred in Kano State during the Sallah celebration leading to the breakdown of law and order in the state on March 30, 2025.
The invitation which was initially issued to enable Alhaji Sanusi to provide his account of the events of that day was withdrawn following advice from respected stakeholders and in line with the Inspector-General of Police’s commitment to ensuring that policing actions are not politicized or misinterpreted. Instead, operatives of the Force Intelligence Department (FID) have now been mandated to proceed to Kano to obtain Alhaji Sanusi’s statement.
Sallah Occurrences
Prior to the Sallah Day celebration, credible intelligence at the disposal of the Police indicated that the two (2) disputed Emirs in Kano State -Alh Ado Bayero and Alh Lamido Sanusi were planning to hold separate Durbar Festivals in the city which made the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun deploy the Coordinating DIG for the North West who also serves as the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, DIG Abubakar Sadiq, to engage in dialogue with the two disputed Emirs in kano and the Kano State Government.
At the meeting, it was mutually agreed that no Durbar Festival would be held to preserve peace and public safety and none of the disputed emirs will ride on horse on Sallah day. However, Alhaji Sanusi who had attended the Eid Prayers in his car, decided to mount a horse in a procession after Eid Prayers on Sallah Day, accompanied by local vigilantes and this triggered a confrontation by youths in the community, leading to the tragic death of one Usman Sagiru, and leaving several others injured.
The Durbar incident was just the latest in a long list of occurrences in the tussle for the emir stool which has rocked Kano in the past year.
