By Sameer S. Yusuf
Following his unexpected, regrettable and un-royal participation in government’s recent intimidation and forceful eviction of his subjects from the ancient market of Keffi town, barely a year after a large part of it was engulfed by fire that led to the lost of property worth millions of Naira, the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji (Dr) Shehu Chindo Yamusa III, risks losing loyalty of his subjects who have threatened to rebel against him at the time of their need, as a payback.
Palace Monitor gathered that, like his late father, the Emir who used to be loved, respected and enjoy stupendous loyalty of his subjects, seemed to have fallen into a trap set for him by selfish and greedy politicians to set him on collision path with his subjects.
Speaking to Palace Monitor, one of the traders, Alhaji Salman Aliyu revealed that “prior to our unjust and forceful eviction from the old market, the Emir was a pro-people’s leader, because he used to protect our interests whenever government wanted to be unfair to us, but surprisingly, the Emir suddenly turned his back against us and sided with the politicians in government to oppress us”.
He wondered why the Emir who is the father of all in the society, especially the downtrodden, and whose duration of leadership is open ended, would compromise the interest of his loyal subjects to please corrupt politicians to the point of instructing his palace guards to join forces with uniformed security agents to humiliate and beat up his subjects and even injuring others, all in the name of forcing them to relocate to a market that is owned by them and which lacked adequate security.
Another trader, Mr. Chukwuma Ndu condemned the government’s rash decision to force them to relocate to the new market, saying the decision was not actually in the best interest of the traders but politicians who own vast majority of the shops and want to rent them out to them at exhorbitant fee to poor traders.