Disquiet as Sokoto Govt Summons Traditional Chiefs to Appear Before Panel

There is disquiet in Sokoto over invitation of notable traditional chiefs to appear before an investigative panel set up by the government of Governor Ahmad Aliyu. 

The panel, headed by former Police Affairs Minister Maigari Dingyadi, was mandated to review the appointments of traditional rulers, the renaming of some tertiary institutions and dissolution of governing boards of government agencies and parastatals  by the immediate past administration of former Governor Aminu Tambuwal.

Governor  Aliyu had reversed the renaming of some tertiary institutions and suspended the appointments of some traditional rulers by Tambuwal , on assumption of office last year.
Some other members of the panel, according to reports, are Bature Shinkafi, Dr Kulu Abubakar, Isa Sadiq-Achida, Suleiman Fulani, and Dr Umar Yabo, as Secretary, prompting fears of bias against the invitees because of the perceived political inclinations of the panel members.

The invitation letter signed by the Committee Secretary, Dr Muhammad Umar Yabo, on behalf of the chairman, for one of the invitees, said, “based on the complaints received against them by some pf your subjects, you are hereby invited to appear before the committee to respond to the complaints on the date, time and venue as follow:”

The letter which listed the venue as Old Villa 3, Government House, Sokoto, did not provide details of the complaints against the invitees.

Though the exact number of traditional rulers summoned by the panel could not be ascertained at the time of filing the report, sources said no fewer than five sultanate council members from  Binji, Yabo, Kilgori, Wamakko and Sabon Birni and 15 district heads had appeared before the panel.

One of the affected traditional heads, Sarkin Kabin Yabo, Alhaji Muhammadu Maiturare, was reinstated to his seat as Sarkin Kabin Yabo by Governor Tambuwal in 2021 when the stiool became vacant. Maiturare was earlier moved from that stool to the District of Dandin Mahe, during the administration of former Governor  Aliyu Wamakko.