Dr Lawan Ahmed Mohammed, first son of the late Emir of Gumel, Alhaji Ahmed Muhammad Sani II, has been appointed the 17th Emir of Gumel Emirate in Jigawa State.

The appointment was approved by Governor Umar Namadi following the recommendation of the Gumel Emirate Council kingmakers and the Jigawa State Council of Chiefs.

The Secretary to the State Government, Bala Ibrahim, announced the development while briefing journalists after the selection process.

He said the kingmakers consulted extensively before selecting from nine contenders for the traditional stool. Three aspirants later withdrew, leaving six candidates in the contest.

At the first stage of voting, three candidates emerged: the Chiroman Gumel, Tafidan Gumel and Sarkin Dawaki. Their names were forwarded to the State Council of Chiefs, which submitted them to the governor for the final decision.

Governor Namadi subsequently approved the candidature of Dr Lawan, who succeeds his late father, who died on Thursday, September 3, 2026, after a 46-year reign.

Until his appointment, the new emir was the Chiroman Gumel and Director of Cyber Security at the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA.

He holds a PhD in Computer and Communication Systems Engineering from Universiti Putra Malaysia, as well as master’s degrees in Computing from De Montfort University, United Kingdom, and Operations Research from Universiti Putra Malaysia. He also holds a BSc in Mathematics from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Dr Lawan previously served for over 12 years as Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Hafr Al-Batin in Saudi Arabia.

He is an internationally recognised researcher and author of more than 40 publications covering computing, cybersecurity and digital identity. He has also contributed to cybersecurity initiatives involving AfricaCERT, the International Telecommunication Union, OIC-CERT, ECOWAS and ANCA.