Akpevwe Okuse
The Nigerian Army has denied it’s involvement in the Kano State emirate tussle, clarifying that its personnel were not enforcing any court orders.
Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, in a statement addressed the accusations made by the Kano State chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Nwachukwu emphasized that the Army’s actions were purely preventative, aimed at maintaining law and order amid the emirate dispute.
In his words, “Troops of the Nigerian Army have not been involved in the Kano State emirate tussle and are not enforcing any court order. They have only taken proactive steps to checkmate any possible breach of security.”
He clarified that the Army’s primary concern is to prevent the situation from escalating into violence, which could be exploited by adversarial non-state actors.
“The military remains on standby to intervene if the situation deteriorates beyond the police’s control”. he added.
The emirate tussle intensified when Governor Abba Yusuf dethroned Aminu Ado-Bayero on Thursday and reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano on Friday.
The House of Assembly’s passage of the Kano State Emirate Councils Amendment Bill led to the abolishment of four additional emirate councils created by former governor Abdullahi Ganduje, resulting in the dethronement of the respective monarchs.
Amid these developments, Ado-Bayero’s return to Kano on Saturday reportedly raised tensions in the state. The Kano Branch of the NBA condemned the alleged use of Army personnel to enforce court orders related to the emirate tussle.
Nwachukwu reiterated that the Army is currently only monitoring the situation and will act to maintain security if necessary.