Nigerian monarch regains stool after deposition for honouring terrorist leader
A monarch in Zamfara state, northern Nigeria, has been reinstated to his stool several months after the state government deposed him for turbaning a terrorist leader, Ado Alieru.
Outgoing Zamfara state governor, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, had removed Alh. Aliyu Garba Marafa as Emir of Birnin Yandoto following the backlash that greeted the turbaning ceremony of Alieru.
Alieru had accepted to stop terrorising natives in Tsafe Local Government Area (LGA) of the state based on an agreement between him and the emirate.
The truce is believed to have necessitated his compensatory turbaning last July.
In a statement, Kabiru Balarabe Sardauna, Secretary to the State Government, said that a government ad-hoc committee found “no evidence of any ill motive or collaboration between the Emir and the bandit.”
The statement added: “His (the emir) reinstatement is based on the recommendations of the Committee constituted to investigate all issues pertaining to the conferment of a traditional title to a repentant bandit, Ado Aleiru. The committee found no evidence of any ill motive or collaboration between the Emir and the bandit.
“Based on the findings of the committee, the traditional title was conferred on the repentant bandit as part of peace building efforts between the repentant bandit and banditry-affected communities in Tsafe and Gusau Local Government Areas, which include Yandoto town. The reinstatement takes immediate effect.”
