By Bukola Olasanmi
The Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero (MFR), has sacked 7 Yoruba traditional rulers (called Obas) in seven local government areas of the state by ordering their immediate de-turbanning.
This followed the meeting of the Yoruba Obas with the emir in his palace in which the traditional heads had accused the Oba Yoruba of Kano State, His Highness, Engineer Murtala Alimi Otisese, of various misdemeanors.
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The seven had approached the emir, Sarki Kano with multiple petition against Oba Otisese, accusing him of high-handedness, and causing disaffection and disharmony among the Yoruba people of the state.
But in a twist of fate, the emir, in his reaction, expressed disappointment over the conduct of the seven Yoruba leaders, saying that at no time did he, as the head of Kano Emirate Council, appoint them as Obas of the seven local government areas and declared that the petitioners, by parading themselves as obas in their various local government areas, had violated the laws of the land.
He noted that since there is an Oba of Yoruba in the state, the other traditional heads in the various local government areas are Baales (district heads) and, therefore, subjects of Oba Otisese.
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The first-class monarch frowned on the petitioners’ action, recalling that in a meeting he had with them sometimes in the past, he had directed them to follow due process by presenting themselves to the Oba Yoruba of Kano State whose responsibility it is to install them as Baales after which he would lead them to his palace for royal blessings.
He noted that the state traditional institution recognises only one Oba, adding that other leaders of the Yoruba Community are under Oba Otisese and, therefore, cannot be addressed as Oba.