Residents Riot Over Sanusi's Emergence As Kano Emir

Some residents of Kano State on Sunday took to the street
following the announcement of the former Governor of Central
Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, as the Emir of Kano State.
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A witness said the aggrieved residents at the Kofar Kudu area of
the state, near the Emir's palace started the riot as Sanusi was
announced the successor to late Alhaji Ado Bayero .
He said the residents of the neighbouring streets trooped out to the
palace area in opposition to the choice, shouting "Ba muso, ba
muso", meaning, "We don't want, we don't want" in apparent
reference to the choice of Sanusi by the state government.
According to him, the angry residents set tyres on fire, mounted
road blocks and started throwing stones at passing vehicles.
He said the situation was, however, quelled by the swift arrival of a
detachment of police officers, Civil Defence officials as well as
members of the state Hisbah.
Despite the reactions from residents, the state government in a
statement issued on Sunday by its secretary, Suleiman Bichi,
insisted that: "The state government received their
recommendations and Allah has conferred on Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi, the former governor of the central bank, (the post of) the
successor to the late emir".
The appointment was announced at the state government
headquarters in the northern city in the presence of the four so-
called "kingmakers" - royal officials who meet in closed session to
decide on the succession.The kingmakers considered a number of
names and put them forward to the state government for approval.
Sanusi had been tipped to be in the running, as he is the grandson
of the late emir's brother, who had a short-lived reign in the 1960s.
His appointment to the distinguished role comes after a turbulent
few months in which he has fought court cases against his
suspension and mounted a legal challenge against the confiscation
of his passport.
The Emir of Kano is the second most-influential of Nigeria's
triumvirate of Muslim leaders: at the top is the Sultan of Sokoto
and number three is the Shehu of Borno.
All three traditional Muslim monarchs are custodians of Islam and
lead clerics in their areas. They have also been seen as key figures
bridging the often fractious divide between Muslims and Christians
in Nigeria.
But they have recently come under pressure to speak out more
against the threat posed by the radical Islamist sect, Boko Haram
who are currently waging an increasingly violent insurgency in the
northern part of the country.