By Aliyu Dalhatu Adamu,
Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State
aliyudalhatuadamu@gmail.com
6th June, 2024.
Kano people are known as peace loving as inculcated by the longest serving Emir of the Kingdom Alhaji Ado Bayero who led for over 50 years. His charisma and the love for his people made him unique amongst all traditional rulers in Africa. Kano people became traumatized with the demise of His Highness Ado Bayero in June 2014. The loss remained irreplaceable until 2020 when His Highness Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero became the Emir of Kano. His emergence renewed the hope of Kano people because he exhibits the same characteristics with that of his father. This makes him to earn the love that people have for his father which no one has in Kano.
The recent dethronement of the Emir and reinstatement of the deposed Emir Sunusi Lamido Sunusi has brought serious disruption of peace and stability in the state. This has opened doors for hooligans and thugs to widen their operation in the state.
It is a known fact that hooliganism and thuggery is a threat to the security of lives and property of people in every society. Hence, leaders are saddled with the responsibility of maintaining law and order so as to block the chances of potential offenders delving into such act.
It is unfortunate to say that the current administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has began to look the other way round, as hoodlums and thugs are allowed to have taken over the Palace of the Kano Emirate in the name of protecting the selfish and politically motivated interest of his political godfather. This has become a serious threat to the peace and safety of people in Kano as the hoodlums are harassing and intimidating people at will within the vicinity of the Kano Emir’s palace all in the name of imposing Sunusi on the throne which is facing outright and absolute rejection by the good people of Kano.
This unbecoming attitude is becoming an eye opener for the younger ones who are now growing to witness this evil as a condone behaviour which may contribute to making hooliganism into a wider phenomenon, a useful symbol and a social obsession in the future tradition of Kano emirate traditional system.
Since the “illegal” reinstatement of Sunusi Lamido Sunusi to Gidan Dabo, the palace and areas such as Kofar Kudu, Kano Municipal, Gwale, Dala and others become the headquarters of thugs. Where even medical workers at Hasiya Bayero Paediatric Hospital were attacked on the 27th of May 2024. Which made Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to issue statement condemning the barbaric development. And this has continued to happen to other people who live in the neighborhood.
This situation arose when the city’s public spaces were “swarming” with a thousands of newly armed groups mandated to “protect” and pay allegiance to Emir Sunusi. Who were recruited by Kano state government only to praise their political master at the detriment of public safety.
Indeed, Gov Yusuf’s incompetence, inept and clueless leadership style is undoubtedly taking Kano back to square zero. The pickle of Kano emirateship brawl is a cessation to Kano peace and stability as courtesy to Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, former Governor of the state Kwankwaso by Governor Yusuf and the former Emir Sunusi Lamido Sunusi in a bid to drag Kano to the state of anarchy.
Hooligans also came to represent the dangers inherent in loosening constraints on society. Even when hooligans victimized people far from their concerns, the increase in their numbers, the apparent pettiness of their motives, and the savagery of their actions within Gidan Dabo suggested that certain members of the lower classes were either very beastly or very angry and that the mechanisms of state’s control were no longer in place to checkmate this.
Now what we ask is that, does the state government prioritise praising their political godfather than protecting the blood of Kano people?
Ironically, hooliganism and thuggery that were fought by previous administrations has now been revived by the present administration as the number 2IC in the government triggered the infiltration and indoctrination of youth into hooliganism and thuggery.
On this note, we are calling on the federal government, security agencies, intelligence communities, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), northern traditional rulers, religious leaders and all other relevant authorities to intervene and also advise Kano state government to obey the court order restraining them from reinstating the deposed Emir Sunusi Lamido Sunusi and dissolution of the remaining four Emirates in the interest of the good people of Kano. This will bring the end to this hooliganism, public insolence, defiance, chaos and violence capable of destabilising the peace and security of Kano State.
