By Prisca Sam-Duru

The daughter of late Emir of Kano, HRH Alhaji Ado Bayero, Princess Zainab .J. Ado Bayero, has been in the media a lot lately both for her professional endeavours as well as her personal family crisis.

This time, the unending family crisis which the filmmaker and feminist has repeatedly told the press began after her father’s death, has resurfaced again with allegations of her family being held hostage in a hotel.

Princess Zainab told Vanguard a few days ago that her family- her “brother Ahmed Tijjani Ado Bayero, and mother are in a hostage crisis in the city of Lagos on the 8th of December 2024.”

The Kano princess who described herself as a “vocal, passionate writer and women’s rights activist, who has spoken out about her struggles to survive and strive for a better future”, is crying out for help again from the general public.

“As a woman and a feminist I’m just so shocked that I have been ignored by my country. We accuse countries like South Africa of xenophobia but what about the tribalism, hate and bigotry in our own country?

“For a day, we were held hostage due to a hotel debt, because we have no home. My brother is depressed and miserable. Why won’t anyone care about this? I recently read that Muslim women in Afghanistan have no rights to speak in public anymore. That’s my crime; I am speaking up as a Muslim from the kano emirate. I’ve committed treason and my mom is not northern either,” she said.

Zainab stated further that “As a woman and citizen, I’m asking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is it right that I’m being abused by members of the kano emirate? These men believed to be the custodians of Kano are taking my rights as well as that of my brother and my mom.

“Mr. President, it’s your duty to protect our rights as citizens. You need to protect the rights of every Nigerian citizen including me, my mom and my brother. I have been judged for being half southern and half northern and for being a woman challenging the norms of a patriarchal society. We are part of the Royal Emirate of Kano and this is just a Greek tragedy. Why is it okay to be tortured? Do we need to die because my father’s sons believe we don’t deserve to exist?”

She then seized the opportunity to appeal to the Governor of Kano State, to use his power as governor and end their misery. “I’m also appealing to the governor of Kano who is also a family member and the father of the people of Kano, to end this pain. I need to believe that in his heart, he wants to end this. I don’t know what’s going on, but I believe he should give myself and my brother Ahmed Tijjani the opportunity to see him one on one and explain our predicament to him,” she stated.