There have been agitations from the three ruling houses of Lafia emirate council who have been unfairly and unjustifiably removed as eligible to contest for the stool of the Emir of Lafia.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the heads of the three ruling houses Aliyu Sanda, Yusuf Ibrahim Jaji (Jarmen Lafia and Muhammadu Jibrin (Galadiman Lafia respectively and made available to newsmen yesterday in Lafia the Nasarawa state capital.
The three ruling houses Ari Laminu, Musa Danjaji, and Musa Gana ruling houses said the bone of contention has been that Dunama was not the only one that founded Lafia as peddled in some quarters; Lafia was collectively founded by a group of Kanuri Royal warriors after traversing some parts of the country.
“We find it imperative at this juncture to let the whole world know the broad daylight injustices meted out to the Ruling houses. Ari Dunama and Dallah Dunama ruling house and others were excluded from contesting for the stool of the Emir of Lafia.”
The statement added that it was during the reign of Umar Dalla that a stage was set for the total removal of the other ruling houses by sub-dividing the Dunama ruling house into two, namely; Dallah Dunama and Ari Dunama of the present Ungwar Doka and Kofar Kaura.
The statement added thus; ” It is also believed that it was from that moment in history that Kingmakers were made to make a secret pledged to be selecting subsequent emir from the above subdivided Dunama Ruling houses rotationally.
“This injustice has been on for about century and the other ruling houses have been fighting the injustice using all available legal means to have these anomalies corrected.
“Not until on the 23rd April 1976 when the government of the then Plateau state under the administration of Group Captain Dan Suleiman who set up a judicial panel of investigation to look into the chieftaincy affairs in the whole plateau state under the chairmanship of late Yahaya Muhammadu Kamam and recommendations were made.
The panel after subsequently recognizing two subdivided ruling houses in Lafia also recommended that Ari of Laminu should be made a distinct ruling house for the fact that the Laminu had also established a ruling dynasty, Laminu ruling house had produced an emir other than its founder.
“The White paper was made and subsequently Gazetted on 29th April 1983 via Plateau state Legal Notice No. 8 of 1983 the Lafia emirate (Declaration of the Native law and custom relation to the selection of the Emir of Lafia) order 1983 and that this ruling house should also be a distinct ruling house.
All people that ruled Lafia did so in their right and not as regents as being peddled around for those who by privilege have succeeded in doctoring the official records of the Lafia emirate, as it assumed that without conceding that others that rule Lafia after Dunama held the throne as regent because his children then were young.
