Nigeria: Top northern monarch dethroned

By Olarewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - Authorities in northwest Nigeria have dethroned a top traditional ruler in the country.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the emir of Kano state in northwest Nigeria, was dethroned for showing disrespect for the governor's lawful instruction, a statement from the Kano state government said on Monday.

His offenses include his "persistent refusal to attend official meetings and programmes organised by the Government without any lawful justification which amount to total insubordination,” said Alhaji Usman Alhaji, secretary to the Kano government.

Alhaji said the good and established image of the traditional institution in the area could be eroded if the king was not dethroned.

Sanusi, the 14th emir of Kano under the Fulani dynasty, was appointed in 2014, before which he served as governor of Nigeria's Central Bank for five years. He is among the five most powerful traditional rulers in Nigeria.