Kano Emirate in talks with Ganduje over feud with Sanusi

Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has hinted of high-level discussions to resolve the feud between the Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi II and the state government.

Ganduje also described as allegation that a Gorilla swallowed N6.8 million from the Kano Zoo as incorrect because there was no gorilla in the Kano Zoological Gardens.

Fielding questions from State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja yesterday, he said preliminary investigation has revealed that armed robbers stole the missing money in the zoo.

The governor said his meeting with the President was to brief him on the security situation in the state and to further stress on the importance of community policing.

“We are working in synergy with security in Kano State to ensure that the state remains peaceful despite what is happening in neighbouring states.

“Our emphasis is on community policing and participation, especially those communities around the forest areas of the state. So, we have built a synergy with the security institutions and our traditional rulers.

“The traditional rulers are always there and they also get a lot of security reports and they use it to maintain peace in their domains. So, as of today, Kano is one of the most peaceful states.”

On his feud with Sanusi and the proposed reconciliation between him and the Emir, he said, discussion was ongoing.

CHAIRMAN of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, has established a case of armed robbery in the N6.8 million gorilla saga rocking the state.

Rimingado, who acted on Ganduje’s directives, described claims by officials of the Kano Zoological Gardens that a gorilla swallowed the money as unimaginable, saying enquiries show that the report was untrue.

He pointed out that it has been established that the money was carted away by hoodlums who invaded the zoo at night.

The gorilla was reported to have swallowed N6.8 million generated by the Zoo as gate fees collected from visitors of the garden, particularly during the Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.

Rimingado, who spoke with The Guardian at a stakeholders dialogue on corruption, organised by ActionAid on Strengthening Citizens’ Resistance Against Prevalence of Corruption (SCRAP-C) in Kano, said it would soon commence investigation to unearth issues surrounding the incident.

He said: “The incident looks more or less like a robbery case, because they got the money through force. The matter is already with the Kano State Police Command. After police investigations, we want to know why they kept such amount of money in the zoo.”