The Nigerian government has banned private planes from landing at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano

“They (military) don’t consult anybody. They just go ahead with their decision since it is about security.” The Nigerian government has banned private planes from landing at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano. Chris Olukolade, the spokesperson for the Nigerian military, told PREMIUM TIMES that the ban was for “security reasons.” Mr. Olukolade, a Major-General, declined to state the nature of the security concerns. But a source in the military told PREMIUM TIMES that the directive would not be unconnected with Sunday’s crowning of Lamido Sanusi as the new Emir of Kano. “After the Emir was appointed, there were lots of protests from the group supporting the late Emir’s son. The security agencies must have felt that certain actions need to be taken,” the source, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak for the military, said. Yakubu Dati, the spokesperson for the Nigerian aviation parastatals, said the military usually takes such decisions when there are security concerns. “We as an authority, we have not banned any plane from landing in Kano. You know there is civil aviation and there is also military aviation which supersedes ours,” Mr. Dati said. “They don’t consult anybody. They just go ahead with their decision since it is about security,” he added. The news of the ban came after Umaru Al- Makura, the Nasarawa State Governor, who was flying into the Kano airport from Makurdi on Monday morning, was denied clearance to land by the airport commander, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. On Sunday, several party chiefs from both the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, flew into Kano prior to the appointment of the new Emir. Nasir El-Rufai, an APC chieftain, described the military’s action as a “hopeless persecution” of Mr. Sanusi by the Nigerian government. “Is Nigeria under military rule or martial law allowing the violation of constitutional rights with such impunity,” Mr. El-Rufai said on his official Facebook page. “When will the Jonathanians give up on this hopeless persecution of a good man? For how long will the Jonathanians continue to test the patience of our people and the citizens of Kano with this reckless impunity,” he added. Before his emergence as Emir, Mr. Sanusi had been having a running battle with the Goodluck Jonathan administration, with the president controversially suspending him as Governor of Central Bank. His passport was also seized by security agencies and he was prevented from travelling out of the country. While the government claimed it was acting based on allegations of graft against the ex- CBN chief, many Nigerians believe he was being persecuted for exposing the corruption in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The presidency and Nigeria’s ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are believed to have been opposed to Mr. Sanusi’s emergence as Kano emir, with the PDP congratulating his major contender as victor hours before an official announcement was made. The party later withdrew the congratulatory message blaming it on an error by an aide to its publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh.