“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.
