ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Nigerian Army has denied any involvement in the Kano State emirate tussle.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, issued a statement on Sunday clarifying that the Army’s personnel were not involved in enforcing any court order related to the emirate dispute.
Contrary to insinuations by the Kano State chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association, Nwachukwu said, “Troops of the Nigerian Army have not been involved in the Kano State emirate tussle and are not involved in enforcing any court order.”
Nwachukwu emphasized that the Army’s primary concern was preventing the breakdown of law and order.
“They have only taken proactive steps to checkmate any possible breakdown or breach of security that may be occasioned by the Kano Emirship tussle.
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“The issue of paramount concern to the Nigerian Army and other security agencies is the prevention of the breakdown of law and order in the state, which could be taken advantage of by adversarial non-state actors,” he said.
He noted that the military would only intervene if the security situation escalated beyond the control of the police.
“All the Army is doing at this stage is to monitor the situation as it unfolds and be on standby in the event of any escalation that could threaten the security of the state and the region in general,” he added.
Recall that the emirate tussle began when Governor Abba Yusuf dethroned Aminu Ado-Bayero on Thursday, subsequently reappointing Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano on Friday.
This action followed the passage of the Kano State Emirate Councils Amendment Bill by the House of Assembly, which the governor approved.
The bill also abolished the four additional emirate councils created under the previous governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, resulting in the dethronement of the respective monarchs.
Ado-Bayero’s whereabouts were unknown immediately after his dethronement, but reports of his return to Kano State on Saturday heightened tensions.
In response to the situation, the Kano Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association condemned the alleged use of Nigerian Army personnel to enforce court orders related to the emirate tussle.