Brief History Of Dethronement In Sanusi's Royal Family

Click here if you missed Muhammadu Sanusi I, was the Emir of Kano from 1954-1963. He was the eldest son of Emir Abdullahi Bayero. He was a powerful Emir that had substantial influence in the colonial Northern Nigeria. He hosted Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Kano in 1956.

According to Wikipedia, The power tussle between him and his distant cousin, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto was believed to have resulted in his dethronement and confinement in Azare 1963.

Muhammadu Sanusi I was asked to chose where to go on exile and he chose Azare, a city in Bauchi State. Like King Jaja of Opobo, Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi of Benin or Olowo of Owo, Oba Olateru Olagbegi who were banished outside their domains by the powers that be (the first two by the British colonialists and the last, by Governor Adeyinka Adebayo of Western Region), that was the beginning of Patriarch Sanusi’s journey into exile in Azare where he spent 20 years and died, according to TheNEWS.

Just as Sanusi II was probed politically, Muhammed Sanusi 1, was dethroned as a result of power struggle (hidden under the cloak of a probe) between him and Ahmadu Bello. The old man also had problem with conservative northern Muslims. Muhammadu Sanusi 1 and Ahmadu Bello were great friends ab initio but their relationship became Topsy turvy later. In an article by Ajiroba Yemi Kotun, entitled “Road to Azare: How Emir Sanusi’s Grandfather Was Removed Due To ‘Jealousy,” published in The Nigerian Voice, originally on 23 May, 2013, many factors were responsible.

First is the radical modern Islam, represented by the old Emir and the conservative, represented by the old guard. Despite the unserious religious differences between the two tariqa, and because the Sardauna considered himself the champion of Islam in the North, the leadership of a much more popular Islamic tariqa by the Emir of Kano was construed by him as a challenge.

Another factor was political ego between Sanusi and Sardauna. As Kotun pointed out, Sanusi was one of those responsible for the success of the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) in the election of 1951, and was virtually a founding member of the party. Problem started when Sardauna felt humbled when, after he and other dignitaries were seated at a public function at Race Course in Kaduna, Emir Sanusi, as Kotun narrated, stole the spotlight “by arriving in full splendour… and the whole assemblage had to stand up for the Emir in traditional homage and honour. It was just too much for the Sardauna to bear.”

The above scenario and many others led to the dethronement of the old Sanusi by Ahmadu Bello. He was a victim of political intrigues, tussles, and power play. He paid the price for challenging the Sardauna.