By SUYI AYODELE, Benin City

Tension rose in Benin City, Edo State capital, on Thursday over plans by some northerners to turban a Sultan of Shuwa Arabs of Edo.

The Shuwa Arabs ethnic group from Borno, in the plan, pencilled Idris Addano as the Sultan of Shuwa Arab of the entire Edo State, who will be receiving homage from citizens from his ethnic group dwelling in Edo State.

The widely circulated invitation for the coronation ceremony slated the coronation to hold on Saturday, 21 August 2021, at Rialto Hotel, Eyaen, a suburb of Benin City, owned by a Duke in Benin Kingdom, Osazuwa Iduriase, the Enogie of Enyean.

The invitation provoked many prominent Benin youths to react on Facebook, condemning the planned coronation of a Sultan within the Kingdom.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that unknown to many in the state, the Shehu of Borno, had on August 4 this year, turbaned Addano and gave him the same title.

The planned event is for Addano to establish the authority given to him in Borno as the leader of the Shuwa Arabs community in Edo State

Reacting to the development, the President of Benin Solidarity Movement (BSM), Elder Curtis Eghosa Ugbo, said Benin indigenes would do whatever it would take to resist what he described as “evil act” by persons who are bent on fomenting trouble.

“This will never happen in Benin Kingdom, we are Benin,” Ugbo added.

The Coordinator-General of Great Benin Descendants (GBD), Imasuen Izoduwa, on his part said the organisation would meet and lock up the hotel-venue of the coronation, for allowing “such nonsense” in the land”.

“We will meet later today so we can lock up that hotel by tomorrow or next for allowing such nonsense in our land. Enough is enough, I will no longer take any of this in our Kingdom,” he said.

Comrade Amos Ehinomen Uagbor said: “Is this obtainable elsewhere? We should now have oba and Sultan in Edo State? In fact, the venue should be sealed”.

Efforts to reach mobile phones numbers on the card for a reaction failed,as calls made to them failed to connect.

Also, Iduriase, the owner of the proposed hotel for the coronation has also distanced himself from the event. (Nigerian Tribune)

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