Here is the bullet-riddled royal car in which Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, would have lost his life early this afternoon after his convoy was attacked in the Masallacin Murtala area of Kano metropolis, North-West Nigeria.

“The Emir’s driver and orderly have been feared killed while his first son, who is also the traditional title of Ciroman Kano, sustained injuries but the emir is alive and well and has been whisked to his palace,” says the blog Naija Pundit from which this photo was sourced. Earlier reports had said that the Emir was injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, an angry reader named Muhammad has reacted angrily to the claims that the gunmen, suspected to be members of the violent Boko Haram Islamic sect mistook the Emir’s convoy to be that of a bishop.

“The Emir was attacked at an Islamic function,” said Muhammad who wrote from the e-mail address meinagge@gmail.com. “What business would a Bishop have to be there? I don’t know why foolish people want to take advantage of every incident to fan religious animosity.”

But contrary to Muhammad’s claim, sources insist that the respected and powerful Emir had already left the function and was o his way back to his palace when he ran into what appeared to be an ambush.