Thieves ransack Emir Ado’s bedroom

Thieves broke into the palace of the Emir of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero on Tuesday night and carted away large amounts of money, Daily Trust learnt from police and palace sources in Kano yesterday.

The thieves gained entry into the monarch’s apartment and removed money believed to be in millions while the emir was away in London, a palace source said.

A source said the thieves broke many wardrobes, trunk boxes and drawers and truned the whole apartment upside down.

More than a dozen persons have already been arrested by the police in Kano State over alleged complicity in the theft, among them one of Alhaji Ado Bayero’s sons and a lady, the sources also said. The suspects are being held at Kwalli Police Division in Kano metropolis. Also in the custody of the police are palace guards and other individuals accused of having a hand in the alleged theft.

The theft was said to have taken place late in the night at a room in the palace used specifically for keeping the emir’s valuables, including money. The suspected thieves did not break or damage any of doors in the apartment while making their way to the vault located in the highly guarded section of the palace, said the source, who further disclosed that the development raised suspicions of an insider job.

A source said ten palace guards are deployed on a daily basis to secure the said room. Police sources also said the emir’s son was suspected of having hand in the crime because was seen at the palace on the day the incident occurred, even though he is a Customs officer based in Kaduna. “This person left a day after the theft and when our officers trailed him to Kaduna, he was on a spending spree. So they arrested him and brought him to Kwalli Division,” said the source.

The only lady among the suspects was said to have been picked by the police because of the free access she enjoys around the palace. Others suspects in police net include senior palace guards, known as Dogorai. The source told Daily Trust that the arrests may not yet be over.

When contacted yesterday, the spokesperson of the Kano Emirate Council Professor Isa Hashim said he was not aware of the case. He said he had just returned to the country from Cairo, where he went for medical check-up. All attempts to speak to the Kano Police Command’s spokesperson ASP Musa Magaji Majiya on the issue failed.

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