Prof Lugga resigns as ‘Wazirin Katsina’ after row over critical comments in Ilorin

Prof. Sani Abubakar Lugga, the Wazirin Katsina, has resigned from the emirate council.

This is sequel to a query issued to him by the Council on the grounds that he discussed issues of insecurity in Ilorin, Kwara State, without permission from the council.

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Prof. Lugga was in Ilorin on February 14, 2022, as the Guest Speaker of a Strategic Management Retreat organised by the Institute for Peace and Conflict resolution.

While responding to questions from journalists at the event, he was reported to have said banditry and insurgency have led to the closure of all schools and other institutions in eight LGAs of Katsina.

He was also reported to have said that all the district heads from the eight frontline LGAs in Katsina had relocated to the state capital, adding that no single day in the last one and a half years that somebody would not be killed or abducted in the state.

“We are really in a state of war. It is more than conflict and the situation is more that you think. Forget about what you read in the media, I am there and I know the reality,” Lugga was reported to have said.

However, this was said not to have gone down well with the emirate council, which issued him a query.

In a copy of his response obtained by Daily Trust, the Professor replied to the three issues raised by the council and  thereafter tendered his resignation.

Attempts to hear from Prof Sani Lugga proved abortive as his telephone lines were not going through, but a credible source said a long-drawn battle led to his resignation.

“Yes it is true that His Highness, the Wazirin Katsina, has tendered his resignation, but I want to you to know that the issues that led to his resignation were far beyond the recent happenings as a result of his talks in Ilorin.

“Waziri is a kind of man that would tell the truth to power, no matter how tough it is, and this is not the first time he would be making comments with the intent of letting the world know the true situation, but you know it is not everyone that wants to hear the truth and Waziri would sacrifice anything to protect his dignity,” the source said.

Speaking on behalf of the emirate council, Kauran Katsina, Alh. Nuhu Abdulkadir Rimi, confirmed the development, saying the resignation letter was received.

He added that the council would deliberate on it and take a decision on the matter.