The deposed Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, refused to leave the palace even after he had been formally informed of his dethronement on Monday, an aide to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has said,

Ganduje’s special adviser on Media, Salihu Yakasai, said the state government had to deploy policemen to escort him out.

The governor’s spokesman said this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday.

He said if Sanusi had humbled himself and left the palace immediately he was informed of his removal, he would have been spared the drama.

Yakasai added,

“They wanted it to be a quiet thing. That is the standard, the law. A deposed emir has to leave the state as it was done in the past but I don’t know what happened in the palace that caused the delay.

“At the initial stage, the emir wasn’t willing to leave the palace and that was why you saw what we saw with the security forces and what have you. If he had left willingly, I don’t think you would have seen such a reaction from the security apparatus.

“The situation, though intense, wasn’t for long and as you can see Kano is peaceful.”