Sanusi leaves Abuja for Lagos — after praying with followers

Muhammad Sanusi II, the deposed emir of Kano, has left Abuja for Lagos, following his release from confinement in Awe, Nasarawa state. 

Before departing Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Sanusi, who was escorted to the airport by Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, prayed for his followers before bidding them farewell.

He is expected to reunite with members of his family in Lagos.

After Sanusi was dethroned on Monday, his choice was to relocate to Lagos, but security operatives forced him to Nasarawa state — they stated that the emir had been banished to the northcentral state.

Abubakar Mahmoud, a senior advocate of Nigeria, who witnessed the process of getting Sanusi out of the palace in Kano, said  “the emir informed the commissioner of police that his friends had sent an aircraft to fly him and his family to Lagos and requested that they should be provided with necessary security to the airport so that he could leave”.

The commissioner was said to have refused the instruction by Sanusi, stating that he had different orders.

“It was clear to us that both the Emir and ourselves were helpless and the police and other security agents were willing to take any measure and use force to achieve their objective,” Mahmoud added.

Sanusi was then taken to Loko and Awe local government areas in Nasarawa, where he was held in confinement till Friday.

El-Rufai said he is now free to go anywhere, including Kano.