Kano State police command yesterday paraded one Adamu Sani, 35, as the principal suspect who led the attack on the Emir of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero on January 19. Also paraded were six of his alleged accomplices.

The police said the suspects claimed they had enrolled into a group that wages jihad and is controlled by some Islamic scholars.

They said the leaders warned them they would be killed if they renounce membership of the group. Bayero was attacked by many gunmen as his convoy drove out of Hausawa quarters after he attended a Qur’anic graduation ceremony on January 19. Six people were killed in the attack, including his driver, two aides and a local government interim chairman.

 Two of the emir’s children and over a dozen others sustained injuries. Briefing newsmen in his office yesterday, Kano police commissioner Ibrahim K Idris said Sani was arrested by the police at Sabuwar Gandu, shortly after the attack.

According to the commissioner, the suspect was carrying a passenger on the motorcycle and that the two attempted to escape after sighting policemen at a roadblock, but the police persued them and arrested them. “He voluntarily confessed to have participated in the attack on the Emir’s convoy and so many coordinated attacks in the state, including the attack and killing of policemen at ‘Yan Awaki quarters, Tishama, Kwanar Freedom and the burning of primary school at Gayawa,” said the police chief.

Explaining how the January attack on the emir was carried out, Idris said the gunmen came to the area on motorcycles and took strategic positions along a popular Waziri Road, adding that the assault was launched with a suicide bombing targeting the lead car on the convoy.

“The attackers shot severally at the Emir’s Limousine instantly killing his driver and two of his aides who tried to shield His Royal Highness. At some distance from the scene, the attackers shot and killed the Interim Management Officer (IMO) of Kumbotso LGA and his aide. “The assailants equally shot and injured two sons of the Emir, other palace guards and some innocent citizens,” he said. Idris said following investigations, six other suspects were arrested, namely Malam Salisu Mohammed, Mubarak Isa, Hashimu Ado, Surajo Salisu, Mohammed Auwal Hashim and Abdul Jalil Musa Maishayi.

“In his confession, Adamu Sani stated that he was recruited into the terror group by Mal. Salisu Mohd of Unguwa Uku quarters and Mal. Sharif Mohd Ghali, the Imam of Filin Cashew Mosque.

“They usually ordered them to go for Jihad and anybody who decides to pull out from the way of Jihad would be killed. They held meetings at Mal. Salisu’s mosque after Isha’i prayers before subsequent attack on any target chosen by Mal. Salisu and Mal. Sharif Mohd Ghali,” police said.

Meanwhile, the police had declared Malam Sharif Ghali, Babangida Baba Salihu, a former staff of National Hajj Commission, Ibrahim of Hadejia, Adamu of Jigiwa State, Alhaji Ali Na’ibawa (Islamic scholar), Alhaji Ali Unguwa Uku (Islamic scholar), Habibu Gwammaja and Salmanu of Jigawa State wanted over the attack.

Asked when the suspects will be charged to court, the police commissioner said given that lives were lost in the attack and “the Emir and his children were injured, we will have to conduct thorough investigation before we charge them to court.”

When journalists interviewed the ‘principal suspect’, who spoke backing cameras, he confessed to being a member of the Boko Haram sect, but said he did not know who the target of their ‘jihad’ was on the day Ado Bayero was attacked.  “I took Mubarak there on my motorcycle, but I didn’t know who the target was,” he said.