Emir Sanusi secretly marries Adamawa princess

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu
Sanusi II, has finally tied the knot
with his rumoured heartthrob,
Sa’adatu Barkindo-Musdafa, the
daughter of the Lamido of
Adamawa, Muhammadu Barkindo-
Musdafa.
The 18-year old becomes the emir’s
fourth wife. She recently completed
secondary school and is been
enrolled for advanced level studies.
In addition to his first wife, Sadiya,
who is the daughter of the late emir
of Kano, Ado Bayero, Mr. Sanusi has
two other wives — Maryam and
Rakiya.
The secret wedding was contracted
in a low-keyed ceremony in the
town of Yola on Friday.
Palace sources in Yola told
PREMIUM TIMES the wedding fatiha
held inside the palace of the Lamido
minutes after Jumma’at prayer.
Insiders say that the influential emir
only sent out invitation to some
dignitaries across the country, as
Kano government officials sneaked
into Yola for the wedding fatiha to
avoid journalists.
The Kano State Governor, Abdullahi
Ganduje, was said to have acted as
the guardian for the groom, while
his Adamawa counterpart, Jibrilla
Bindow, played the role of the
bride’s guardian, who gave her
hands out in marriage to the
monarch.
Mr. Sanusi’s rumoured marriage to
the princess was debunked in the
past.
“His decision to take a new wife is
in line with Islamic injunction.
Islam allows having a maximum of
four wives for those who can treat
all of them equally and provide for a
large family,’’ said a top Kano state
government official who travelled to
Yola for the wedding.
A social commentator, Dan’Almajiri Ibrahim,
argued that in ancient times, links between
empires were tightened by marriages among
royals and nobles across boundaries.
“So, the engagement of the Adamawa princess to
Emir Sanusi II may also be a move to deepen
royal bond between Adamawa and Kano.
“You see, historically, both emirates have similar
origins in the 19th Century Uthman Bn Fodio’s
jihad,’’ he concluded.
Emir Sanusi could not be reached for comments
as he is currently away in Saudi Arabia, where
he is acting as leader of Nigeria’s delegation to
this year’s hajj.
A highly placed palace source however confirmed
the development to PREMIUM TIMES, saying
Sa’adatu would not move in with the emir
immediately.