Lamido: “When we entered Ajegunle, we saw houses identified by the names of tribes”

In his autobiography titled Being True to Myself, released on May 13, former Jigawa State Governor and ex-National Secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party, Sule Lamido, recounted a tense moment in 2000 when he considered recommending a state of emergency in Lagos due to deadly attacks on Northerners during a violent crisis.

As reported by The Punch, Lamido detailed how the violence led to significant loss of life and property. In response, then-President Olusegun Obasanjo formed a ministerial delegation to assess the situation. The committee was led by then-Minister of Environment, Hassan Adamu (Wakilin Adamawa), and included Lamido, the late Col. Bello Kaliel (Minister of Water Resources), and Ibrahim Bunu (Minister of the FCT), among others.

In Chapter 10 of his book, titled “Obasanjo’s Presidency,” Lamido wrote that the delegation first met the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero. There, they reaffirmed their duty to defend the North’s interests in line with their public responsibilities.

The group then traveled from Kano to Sokoto, before arriving in Lagos. Upon arrival, they met with then-Governor Bola Tinubu after inspecting the areas affected by the unrest. Lamido described their visits to locations such as Mile 12, Ilupeju, Yaba, Western Avenue, Iddo motor park, vegetable market, Itere, Surulere, Eric Moore, Iganmu, Boundary Roundabout, and Ajegunle.

In Ajegunle, Lamido said they noticed homes labeled by ethnic identity—“Yoruba House,” “Hausa House,” and “Igbo House.” He noted that only Hausa-marked homes had been burned down, while others remained untouched. “When we entered Ajegunle, we saw houses identified by the names of tribes, Yoruba House, Hausa House, and Igbo House. Clearly, all those houses marked as belonging to other than the Hausa were intact, while all the Hausa houses were burnt down completely,” he wrote.

He added that this level of targeted destruction drove prominent businessman Alhaji Sani Marshal to abandon his business in Ajegunle and return to Kano.

Lamido asserted that the attack was clearly orchestrated against Hausa residents and accused those behind it of economic sabotage, especially given the large number of destroyed trailers and tankers—key assets for Northern businesses. He claimed several hundred Hausa people were killed.

Overcome with rage after witnessing the devastation, Lamido admitted he nearly lost control of his emotions due to the scale of what he saw.