•Emirs of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II and Aminu Ado Bayero
The joint security forces in Kano State have threatened to arrest the 15th and 16th Emirs of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II and Aminu Ado Bayero, for any action capable of breaching peace in the state.
Rising from an emergency meeting on the security situation in the state, the joint forces vowed to prosecute any individual or group that henceforth violates the embargo placed on horse riding and durbar activities in Kano, reports Guardian.
Addressing journalists today, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, declared that the executive order restricting horse riding and any form of durbar remains in force and is binding on all persons in the state, irrespective of their status or position.
According to Bakori, the joint security forces have observed with concern recent developments capable of disrupting law and order, stressing that further violations would not be tolerated.
The security warning came in the wake of the recent royal procession embarked upon by the 16th Emir, Aminu Ado Bayero, through the city centre, which allegedly led to the destruction of public property, including political banners belonging to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
The police had confirmed the breakdown of public order arising from the procession and disclosed that five persons were arrested in connection with the incident.
The development, which triggered public tension, prompted the state government to issue a ban on horse riding and any form of durbar procession in Kano.
The prevailing peace was further disrupted yesterday when the 15th Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II, displayed a royal procession on a white horse while leading hundreds of supporters to the 66th Independence Anniversary celebration held at the Sani Abacha Stadium in the presence of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
The apparent violation of the standing restriction on horse riding sparked a spontaneous reaction from the camp of the 16th Emir, Aminu Ado Bayero, which threatened to embark on a full-blown durbar.
The threat from Bayero’s camp, issued by a senior counsellor and Sarkin Dawakin Babban to Bayero, prompted a fresh directive from the security forces, which insisted that they would not allow any act capable of breaching the peace and jeopardising public safety.
Speaking alongside the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Abubakar Hussaini, the CP said that, in order to strengthen security coordination and ensure adequate security coverage, the Joint Security Meeting had resolved to maintain strict compliance with the government’s ban on horse riding and durbar activities in the state.
According to the CP, it is now mandatory for any institution or organisation that considers it necessary to undertake any form of durbar and/or horse or animal-riding activity in a public place in the state to give at least 72 hours’ prior written notice to the Kano State Police Command through the office of the Commissioner of Police.
He said the notice would enable the command to conduct the necessary security assessment and make adequate arrangements to ensure public safety and maintain law and order.
