Daud Olatunji
The marital crisis between Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, and his wife, Zainab, has taken a fresh turn following reports that three security personnel attached to the governor’s wife have been arrested.
The reported arrests came amid the breakdown of the couple’s marriage, with Zainab said to have moved out of the governor’s residence weeks before instituting divorce proceedings against him at an Upper Area Court in Gudu, Abuja.
The development has further drawn attention to the growing political tension between Governor Yusuf and his former political benefactor and father-in-law, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, whose daughter is at the centre of the marital dispute.
According to reports, Zainab, who is Kwankwaso’s daughter, filed the divorce suit, registered as CV/97/26, approximately 20 years after her marriage to the governor.
A member of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, a political group associated with Kwankwaso, confirmed the divorce proceedings to Sunday PUNCH, disclosing that the governor had been summoned to appear before the court on Tuesday, November 17.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Zainab had relocated from her husband’s residence about three weeks earlier.
“Yes, it is true. The woman has moved out of her husband’s house and the governor has been asked to appear before the court on November 17. The reason for her divorce is known to her; I don’t want to insinuate,” the source said.
The source further disclosed that Zainab had previously been based in Abuja and only visited Kano occasionally.
On the reported arrest of the three security operatives attached to the governor’s wife, the Kwankwasiyya member confirmed awareness of the development but did not provide details about the circumstances surrounding their arrest.
However, the circumstances leading to the reported arrests remain unclear, as the newspaper could not independently establish the identities of the personnel or the allegations against them.
When contacted, the Kano State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Kiyawa, declined to comment, citing the pendency of the matter before a court.
“We cannot comment on the issue because it is already before a court of law,” he said.
Kiyawa added that the command would not discuss matters currently undergoing judicial proceedings.
Efforts to obtain the Kano State Government’s position on the reported arrests and the marital dispute were unsuccessful, as the Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Waiya, did not respond to calls seeking his reaction.
The unfolding divorce crisis comes against the backdrop of a bitter political disagreement between Yusuf and Kwankwaso, who were once close political allies.
Their relationship reportedly deteriorated after Yusuf defected from the New Nigeria Peoples Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress, a move that widened the political gulf between the governor and his former political mentor.
The latest development has consequently brought renewed attention to the strained relationship between the two political figures, although no direct link has been established between the political disagreement and the reasons behind the divorce proceedings.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Governor Yusuf nor Zainab had publicly explained the circumstances surrounding the breakdown of their marriage.
