A Kano High Court has issued an order for Aminu Ado Bayero to cease presenting himself as the 15th Emir of Kano and has directed the police to evict him from the mini palace on State Road.
The ruling, made by Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu on Monday, is effective until June 11, 2024, when the substantive motion will be heard.
This development follows a Federal High Court decision last Thursday that restrained the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi II as Emir of Kano and suspended the law establishing the dissolved five emirates in the state. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf contested the ruling, asserting that the judge who issued it was abroad and vowing to report the matter to the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF). He maintained that there was no legal impediment to recognizing Muhammadu Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano.
Despite the Federal High Court’s ruling, Sanusi II moved into the emir’s palace on Friday and began his duties as the Emir of Kano. Bayero, who was out of town at the time of his deposition, returned to Kano on Saturday and was escorted under heavy security to a mini palace on State Road.
The Commissioner of Police in Kano, Muhammad Gumel, along with other security chiefs, committed to enforcing the court’s orders. “The order of the court restraining Sanusi as Emir will be followed to the letter,” Commissioner Gumel affirmed.
The court’s directive also affects other traditional rulers, including Nasiru Ado Bayero, Ibrahim Abubakar II, Kabiru Muhammad Inuwa, and Aliyu Ibrahim Gaya, restraining them from parading themselves as emirs of Bichi, Gaya, Rano, and Karaye, respectively.
The defendants in this suit include Aminu Ado Bayero, Ibrahim Abubakar II, Kabiru Muhammad Inuwa, Aliyu Ibrahim Gaya, the Inspector General of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Nigerian Army. The plaintiffs are the Attorney General of Kano State, the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, and the Kano State House of Assembly.
Justice Aliyu stressed the importance of upholding the rule of law, stating, “This court will ensure that its orders are respected and upheld until the substantive motion is heard.”
As the legal battles continue, the situation in Kano remains tense, with significant attention focused on the upcoming hearing on June 11, 2024.
