The Government of Kano State in Northern Nigeria has instructed the State’s Commissioner of Police to remove the 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, from the Nasarawa mini palace.
The state government claimed that the judgment of a Federal High Court delivered on Thursday was in its favour, affirming the state government’s decision to reinstate Emir Lamido Sanusi, while Aminu Ado Bayero remains deposed.
The court on Thursday declared invalid the Kano Emirate Council (Amendment No. 2) Law, 2024, that scrapped four of the five emirate councils of the state last month and removed all the five emirs, including Aminu Ado-Bayero of Kano.
The judge, Abdullahi Liman, nullified Sanusi’s reinstatement as emir because the government did not obey the court order restraining it from taking further action on the new emirate council law.
The judge expressed displeasure over Governor Yusuf’s decision to go ahead with the reappointment of Sanusi as emir despite a court order, describing his speech during the presentation of the reinstatement letter to Sanusi as a road to anarchy.
He said a government that cannot respect a court order, despite evidence of service was heading to chaos.
The judge affirmed that all actions taken by the governor after the court order remained void, including the signing of the new emirate law and the reappointment of Sanusi as emir. He ordered all parties in the dispute to maintain the status quo.
Responding swiftly to the court’s ruling, the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Haruna Dederi, in a press conference, claimed that the judgment was given in its favour and that Sanusi remained the emir.
He announced that the government has concluded plans for the renovation of the property.
“Following this court’s ruling, Kano State Government has directed the State Commissioner of Police to remove the deposed emir of the 8 metropolitan local governments from the government property where he is trespassing as the government has already concluded arrangements for the general reconstruction and renovation of the property including the demolishing and reconstruction of the dilapidated wall fence with immediate effect.
“By the ruling of the court, it has unequivocally reaffirmed the validity of the law passed by Kano State House of Assembly and assented to by His Excellency the Executive Governor of Kano State on Thursday, 23rd May 2024 by 5:10 p.m.
“This part of the judgement is very fundamental to the entire matter. Further implication of the ruling is that all actions done by the government before the emergence of the interim order of the honourable court, are equally validated.
“This means that the abolishing of the five emirates created in 2019 is validated, and the deposition of the five emirs is also sustained by the Federal High Court. By implication, this means that Muhammadu Sanusi II remains the emir of Kano.
The state’s Attorney-General claimed that the signing of the law and the reinstatement of Sanusi as emir were done on the 23rd of May, 2024, before the Interim Order was served on the state government on Monday 27th May, 2024
