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KANO, NIGERIA — Severe political and chieftaincy tensions have once again erupted across Kano metropolis after supporters of the deposed Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, staged an unauthorized Durbar and horse-riding procession, defying a state ban and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
The controversial event, which saw loyalists parade through major streets in Kano City, degenerated into violence as armed supporters destroyed public infrastructure alongside political billboards and campaign posters bearing the images of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Defiance of Government Ban Leads to Violence
The state-wide ban on traditional Durbar activities and street horse-riding processions had been enforced by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf citing intelligence reports on pressing security threats.
However, in direct defiance of the executive order, Aminu Ado Bayero hosted the procession. Eyewitnesses reported that as the procession wound through key areas, large crowds of young men accompanying the horse riders brandished weapons—including knives, cutlasses, and wooden clubs—and chanted hostile slogans demanding the official reinstatement and recognition of Bayero as the sole Emir of Kano.
“They were displaying knives and other dangerous weapons. A lot of people were wounded as the thugs chanted war songs, threatening to maim and kill if Aminu Ado Bayero is not recognized as the Emir of Kano,” recounted a victim, Alhaji Isa Abdullahi. “I escaped being lynched by whiskers. It was very unfortunate that Aminu Ado Bayero could engage in such a misdemeanor, shooting himself in the leg. The ugly incident has seriously shattered his image. Kano residents are no longer happy with him.”
Presidency Reacts With Dismay
The destructive targeted tearing and burning of campaign billboards carrying President Tinubu’s 2027 political signatures alongside Governor Yusuf’s images has triggered immediate political repercussions at the highest level in Abuja.
Highly placed sources within the Presidency revealed that top officials view the defiance and destruction of presidential campaign banners as a direct political affront.
“Aminu Ado Bayero may have a lot of questions to answer. The Presidency is not happy with him, as they have described the incident as an affront to President Tinubu’s 2027 campaign,” an insider source disclosed. “The presidency believes Aminu Ado Bayero is working against President Tinubu, and serious measures may be taken to tackle him.”
Furthermore, National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is reported to have expressed deep dissatisfaction over the breakdown of order, subsequently summoning the deposed monarch to Abuja to account for the security breach and the motivations behind the unauthorized gathering.
Damage Control and Official Apology
Amid mounting public backlash and impending security queries, sources confirm that Aminu Ado Bayero has personally extended an apology to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf over the conduct of his followers, expressing regrets over the destruction of state and political banners.
Despite the apology, residents and civil society groups in Kano continue to voice outrage over the renewed breakdown of law and order, calling on security agencies to clamp down on political thugs and maintain strict enforcement of state security directives.
