The turbaning penultimate Saturday of Adamu Yankuzo as the Sarkin Fulani (Chief of the Fulani) of the Yandonton Daji Emirate by the Emir of Yandonton Daji, Aliyu Marafa, adds another intriguing layer to the giant puzzle that is the security situation in the country. This is because Yankuzo, aka Ada Aleru, is not just another citizen but a ruthless 45-year-old terror kingpin who once boasted that “I don’t kidnap, I only kill people,” and is wanted in connection with a series of atrocities in both Zamfara and Katsina states.

To add insult to injury, Ada Aleru’s turbaning ceremony had all the pomp and grandeur of a state ceremony as, according to media reports, it was attended by many state dignitaries, including the Zamfara State Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, Mamman Tsafe; security adviser to the governor, Abubakar Dauran; Chairman of Tsafe Local Government Aminu Mudi; representatives of the information commissioner, district heads and other traditional title holders and government officials.

Following public outcry, the Zamfara State government has suspended Emir Aliyu Marafa and set up a committee to look into the circumstances surrounding the turbaning. While we welcome this move, the entire incident leaves a trail of critical questions: Did the state government functionaries present at the turbaning not know that they were at a ceremony in honour of a notorious terrorist, one already declared wanted by the government of Katsina State? If the state knew and still gave the event its blessing, why suspend the Emir after the fact? Put differently, what did the Zamfara State government know, and when did it know it?

We ask these questions because it does not require any special expertise to realise that Mr. Aleru’s notoriety is well-earned; that he has been accused of killing the son of the Zamfara State Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, Mamman Tsafe; that he had led a series of attacks on the headquarters of the Tsafe Local Government Area; and that he is believed to have led the attack on Kadisau community in Faski Local Government Area in which 52 residents were reportedly killed. Why, despite this bloody trail, did the Emir and the state government deem him worthy of a chieftaincy title?

Early indications from the Emir’s palace suggest the possibility that turbaning Mr. Aleru was an act of royal pragmatism intended to buy peace for the Yandonton Daji Emirate. While that may be understandable, it hardly solves the problem, as Mr. Aleru is just one of many militia leaders terrorising the community. Will the other gang leaders be turbaned too? Where does the Emir draw the line between seeking peace and rewarding outlawry?

The turbaning of Mr. Aleru is the clearest illustration so far of the tragic fact that the Nigerian state has vacated its status as the institution with legitimate monopoly of the means of violence. The prospects for ordinary Nigerians in the closing months of this disastrous regime are quite alarming.

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