Peterside, group fault earlier request

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has withdrawn its earlier invitation to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, in connection with the unfortunate incident that occurred in Kano State during the Sallah celebration on March 30. 
  
The invitation was initially issued to enable the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to provide his account of the events that led to the breakdown of law and order in the state.  
  
The force, in a statement by its spokesperson ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said following advice from respected stakeholders, and in line with the Inspector-General of Police’s commitment to ensuring that policing actions are not politicised or misinterpreted, the police boss directed that the invitation be withdrawn. 

 Instead, operatives of the Force Intelligence Department (FID) have been mandated to proceed to Kano to obtain Sanusi’s statement. Prior to the Sallah Day celebration, intelligence at the disposal of the police indicated that the two disputed Emirs – Ado Bayero and Lamido Sanusi – were planning to hold separate Durbar festivals. 
  
The festival is a long-held tradition which involves a recognised Emir riding on horses around the city in the company of his people.  To forestall possible violence, the IGP, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, deployed the Coordinating DIG for the North West, who also serves as the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abubakar Sadiq, to engage in dialogue with the monarchs and the state government.
   
It was mutually agreed that no Durbar festival would be held to preserve peace and public safety, and none of the disputed emirs would ride on horse on Sallah day.

But founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Atedo Peterside, has faulted invitation of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to Abuja.
  
During the Eid-el-Fitr celebration last Sunday, some members of a vigilance group, who were said to be part of Sanusi’s entourage, were allegedly attacked and killed.
  
The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) presided over the Eid prayer at the Kofar Mata Eid prayer ground in Kano. Governor Abba Yusuf and other government officials attended the prayer session.
  
The Kano police command had constituted an eight-member panel to investigate the killing. Police spokesperson in the state, Abdullahi Kiyawa, said the incident occurred despite the ban on durbar activities by the force.
   
In a post on his X handle yesterday, Peterside said the Kano police command should have quizzed the monarch.
  
“What is Nigeria Police Force trying to turn Nigeria into? Has Nigeria become a Police State? Is there any question that the Commissioner of Police cannot legitimately ask the Emir of Kano in Kano on behalf of his Abuja bosses?” he asked.  Peterside added that invitations across state boundaries are a “form of harassment” and should be discouraged.

ALSO, a non-profit organisation, Assembly for Preservation of Traditional Institutions in Nigeria, has described the invitation as an affront to Northern traditional institutions.   Besides, the group claimed that the IGP’s invitation was part of a deliberate plan to provoke unrest in Kano and stir imposition of emergency in the state. 
   
In a statement yesterday by its National Coordinator, Alhaji Yahya Nda Musa, the group cautioned the police to refrain from being used by unpatriotic and selfish individuals to orchestrate mayhem in Kano. 
 
It expressed surprise on the invitation, which was dated April 4, 2025, and signed by Olajide Rufus Ibitoye, Commissioner of Police (OPS) on behalf of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Force Intelligence Department, which surfaced in public on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
  
 According to the CSO, the fact that the issue in question is already being handled by the Kano State command of the force raised an ulterior plot.