The Kano State House of Assembly has begun a fresh probe of the Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi.

The lawmakers said Wednesday that they received two petitions against the emir.

During the assembly’s plenary, the chairman of the committee on local government and chieftaincy affairs, Zubairu Hamza-Masu, said he received a petition from one Muhammad Mukhtar of Ja’en Yamma quarters in Gwale Local Government Area. He said he received a second petition from the Kano State society for the promotion of education and culture headed by Muhammad Bello-Abdullahi. He said the petitioners accuse Mr Sanusi of unethical conducts that contradicted the culture and tradition of Kano people.

Mr Hamza-Masu told his colleagues that the petitioners backed their claim with a copy of a video CD.

According to the legislator, the petitioners requested the assembly to thoroughly investigate the matter and take appropriate action against the monarch.

The Speaker of the House, Abdulaziz Gafasa, referred the petitions to the assembly’s standing committee on public petition, and directed the committee to report back to the plenary in seven days.

Mr Sanusi has had repeated problems with the Kano State Government over his public stance on several issues including governance and culture.

The emir has condemned corruption and misgovernance among Northern elites, advocated family planning and spoken against polygamy by people who cannot afford to do so.

Many of his views are believed to anger many residents of a largely conservative Northern Nigeria.

Mr Sanusi has in the past been probed for corruption by the Kano government and has had his influence reduced after the government created new first-class emirates in the state.

Before then, the Emir of Kano was the only first-class emir in the state.

The state governor, Umar Ganduje, had also said he was considering dethroning the emir. Top Northern elders then intervened and asked both parties to sheathe their sword.