El-Rufai deposes two Kaduna monarchs, sacks three district heads

The traditional chiefs of the Piriga and Arak Chiefdoms, His Highness Jonathan Paragua Zamuna and His Highness General Aliyu Iliyah Yammah (retd. ), respectively, have been approved for removal by Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

The two traditional rulers will no longer hold their respective positions as of Monday, May 22, 2023, according to a statement released by the state’s commissioner of local government, Hajiya Umma Ahmad.

The commissioner further stated that the depositions were conducted in accordance with Section 11 of the Traditional Institutions Law No. 21 of 2021 and Ministry of Local Government recommendations.

The commissioner stated that “the Council Secretary has been directed to initiate the process for the appointment of a new Chief, while the District Head of Garun Kurama, Babangida Sule, will oversee the affairs of Piriga Chiefdom, pending the appointment of a new chief.

Gomna Ahmadu, the Council Secretary of the Arak Chiefdom, will be in charge of managing the chiefdom’s affairs and starting the selection process for a new Chief.

The government found General Iliyah Yammah’s response to the question about his appointment of four district heads—which was against the one authorized for his chiefdom—and his non-residence within the Arak chiefdom—inacceptable, according to the statement.

Jonathan Zamuna was removed from office as a result of recent hostilities between the Gure and Kitimi communities of the Piriga chiefdom in the Lere LGA and his absence from the chiefdom.