Controversy now trails the banishing of the former Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhamad Sanusi as the Kano State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Ibrahim Mukhtar has denied that the State Government ordered the banishment of the former Emir.
The Attorney General said when the Emir was deposed, the statement confirming his deposition which was read by the Secretary to the State Government, Usman Alhaji did not utter the word “banished”.
He, however, said that the banishment of the deposed emir was a decision taken in the interest of safety, peace and avoidance of friction, Mukthar argued.
But Mukthar vehemently disassociated the state government from the banishment of the emir, saying it was neither initiated nor executed by the administration of Governor Ganduje.
He hinted during a chat that the security operatives who whisked Sanusi away from the Kano palace to his current location in Nassarawa State were acting in tune with the prevailing security circumstances.
He dismissed the allegations by counsel to the former Emir, A. B. Mahmoud, SAN who had alleged that the fundamental human rights of the deposed Emir were been infringed upon, stressing that the state government solely executed an administrative role.
He further stressed that security agents were acting in tandem with security facts, while urging the former Emir through his legal representatives to check out with security agents the facts and circumstances that determined the banishment.
He argued that the security operatives may have been acting to protect the palace, the families domicile in the palace, and further posited that they also may have acted to ensure the safety of the deposed Emir.
The AG alleged that unauthorized persons as at the time were reported to have gained access into the palace, warranting the need for safety measures, adding that the security agencies must have acted in the overall interest of the people of Kano, an action which he said would have been determined by facts and circumstances.
He urged lawyers to Sanusi to obtain a comprehensive fact from security agencies to appraise what led to his banishment before branding his banishment as a breach of the fundamental rights of the former Emir.
According to him, ”banishment of Emirs in the aftermath of their deposition is an old tradition which dates back to colonial era.
“You cannot have two Emirs at a time,” he stated.
