Zainab Musa Kwankwaso, the second wife of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, has filed for divorce at the Upper Area Court sitting in Gudu, Abuja, according to court documents obtained by DAILY NIGERIAN.
A civil summons with reference number CV/97/26 ordered the governor to appear before the court on November 17, 2026.
Zainab, who is a daughter of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, married Mr Yusuf on July 29, 2006, while serving her father as an aide. The marriage produced six children.
Although Mr Yusuf fell out with his godfather and father-in-law about a year ago, the fallout now appears to have extended to his marriage, which sources say has been experiencing a prolonged crisis.
On October 28, the governor’s estranged wife reportedly left the Kano Government House for her father’s residence on Miller Road, Kano, before boarding a flight to Abuja without her police orderly and other security escorts.
Her police orderly, suspecting something was amiss, reportedly alerted his superiors at Government House, who subsequently informed the governor.
Sources said airport security officials were initially instructed not to allow her to board the flight. However, they eventually allowed her to proceed over concerns that stopping her could trigger a scene at the airport.
DAILY NIGERIAN gathered that security operatives assigned to guard her quarters at Government House, as well as personnel attached to Mr Kwankwaso’s Miller Road residence, were arrested, questioned and later released by the Kano State Police Command.
Zainab’s elder sister and elder brother, Ado Kwankwaso, were also reportedly invited by the police over allegations that they assisted her in leaving Kano.
Sources further alleged that pressure was being mounted on the police to charge Ado with kidnapping.
In her particulars of claim filed before the court, Zainab cited a breakdown of the marriage, saying it had been characterised by persistent lack of reciprocal care, love, affection and emotional connection.
She told the court that she had lost love and affection for the governor and developed a deep-seated aversion to the marriage.
She further expressed fear that continuing the marriage would make it difficult for her to observe the limits prescribed by Allah regarding a wife’s obligations.
According to the court documents, Zainab said all efforts to reconcile them and restore harmony had failed, adding that the governor’s heart had completely turned away from the union.
She consequently told the court that she was willing to refund the dowry paid by the governor on their wedding day to secure the dissolution of the marriage.
Zainab is seeking dissolution of the marriage through khul’i, an Islamic procedure under which a wife may seek separation from her husband, usually in return for compensation or refund of dowry.
The Kano State Commissioner for Information, Sanusi Dawakin Tofa, did not respond to calls and a text message seeking the governor’s reaction to the matter.
