Tension has gripped Kano following a formal invitation by the Inspector General of Police (IG), Kayode Egbetokun, requesting the 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, to appear at the Force Intelligence Department (FID) headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
There were speculations that the invitation might be in connection with an attack on his entourage during the Sallah celebrations.
The state police command had arrested one Usman Sagiru in connection with the alleged killing of a vigilante member, Surajo Rabiu, in an attack on the entourage of Emir Sanusi II.
Another vigilante member, Aminu Suleman, sustained injuries and was rushed to the Murtala Muhammed Specialists Hospital, Kano, for medical treatment.
The state police command spokesman, SP Abdullahi Haruna, said the incident occurred while the local guards were protecting the entourage of Emir Sanusi II on their way from the Kofar Mata Eid prayer ground after observing the two rakat eid-el-fitr prayers.
The invitation letter dated April 2, 2025, with reference number CR:3000/FID/FHQ/ABJ/VOL59/697, was signed by a Commissioner of Police (CP), Olajide Rufus Ibitoye on behalf of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Force Intelligence Department (FID), Abuja.
The letter reads: “I have the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, through the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Intelligence Department (FID), to invite you for an investigative meeting regarding an incident that occurred during the Sallah celebrations within your domain,” the letter stated.
Meanwhile, the invitation has sparked tension in Kano City and the environs, with some residents describing it as an alleged move by the federal government to impose a state of emergency in the state.
A resident of Dorayi quarters, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “We view this invitation as an affront to our traditional institution and as a move to harass and intimidate our Emir by the Police who failed woefully to provide security to us on Sallah day.”
He urged President Bola Tinubu and the federal government not to allow the police to plunge Kano State into crisis.
Another resident, who also craved anonymity, expressed concerns over the invitation, which he said could set the state ablaze and cause a state of emergency.
“What happened on Sallah day was never in any way a Durbar but rather a movement of the Emir from his palace to Mosque, which is normal for him to ride a horse, and not to trek anyway.”
He cautioned against breaching the peace of Kano, insisting that, “inviting Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, because of flimsy excuses is a violation of his fundamental human rights, and would be resisted by the residents of the city.”
