Lamido Sanusi Escapes Arrest, Hours After Being Appointed Emir Of Kano

The new Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

Hours after being appointed the new Emir of Kano state, Lamido Sanusi narrowly escaped being arrested by security operatives at his personal residence in the state.

Premium Times reports that a source who pleaded anonymity for security reasons said Sanusi was sneaked out of his house on Sunday, June 9 by the Kano state Government, after they received intelligence report that the Federal Government was plotting to arrest the newly appointed Emir in order to stop him from being turbaned.

The source said Sanusi passed the night in Government House.

It is however not clear why the Federal government wanted to arrest Sanusi as the spokesperson of the Kano state command of the police, Magaji Majiya and spokesperson of the SSS, Marilyn Ogar could not be reached fro comment.

Following his suspension on February 20, as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by President Goodluck Jonathan while he was away in Niamey, Niger Republic, on official assignment, Sanusi has been at loggerheads with the Federal government.

President Jonathan had said he was suspended over allegations of financial recklessness by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, FRC.

Sanusi rejected the claims against him, saying that he was removed for revealing that Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation had allegedly underremitted $20bn in oil revenue to the Federation Account. he then went on file a suit challenging his removal, through his counsel Kola Awodein (SAN).

After Sanusi was announced as the new Emir of Kano State following the death of the former Emir, Ado Bayero, some residents of the state took to the street in protest.