Olarewaju Kola
March 10, 2020•Update: March 10, 2020
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria
A top traditional ruler in Nigeria who was dethroned on Monday was sent into "internal exile" less than 24 hours after his removal, a local website reported on Tuesday.
After being removed as emir of Kano state in northwest Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi proceeded to the nearby Nasarawa state, according to online news outlet Politics Nigeria.
It also said that Aminu Ado Bayero has replaced Sanusi as the new emir of Kano.
Authorities in northwest Nigeria dethroned Sanusi for disrespecting the office of the state governor and other authorities.
His offenses include his “persistent refusal to attend official meetings and programs organized by the Government without any lawful justification which amount to total insubordination,” said Alhaji Usman Alhaji, secretary to the Kano government.
Alhaji said the good and established image of the traditional institution in the area could be eroded if the king was not dethroned.
According to Politics Nigeria online, Sanusi's removal sparked heated debate among Nigerians on social media, with some saying he was removed for his controversial position on issues affecting northern Nigeria.
Others said the move was in reaction to Sanusi's failure to support the re-election last year of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Kano's governor.
The Africa Report news website said Sanusi, during his time as emir, condemned “corruption and misgovernance among Northern elites.”
He had also expressed controversial views on family planning and polygamy, which angered many people in Nigeria's north, according to the report.
Sanusi, the 14th emir of Kano under the Fulani dynasty, was appointed in 2014, before which he served as governor of Nigeria's Central Bank for five years.
He was among the five most powerful traditional rulers in Nigeria.
*Olarewaju Kola contributed to this story from Maiduguri, Nigeria
