•Federal high court orders eviction of Sanusi from palace
•State high courts stops security agencies from harassing, and intimidating him
•High security beef up around Bayero’s residence

By Bashir Bello

KANO—The controversy trailing the Kano Emirate tussle took another dimension yesterday, as a Federal High Court and Kano State Court sitting in the state gave conflicting orders on the removal of the reinstated Emir of Kano Muhamadu Sanusi 11.

The state government had, last week, abolished the five emirates, deposed Aminu Ado Bayero as the emir of Kano and reinstated Muhamadu Sanusi II in his stead.

While the Federal High Court ordered the eviction of Sanusi II from the palace, the state high court restrained the police, Department of State Security, DSS, and other security agencies from arresting him or invading palace.

The Federal High Court order followed an exparte motion by Bayero through his counsel, M.L Yusufari SAN, before the Federal High Court presided over by Justice S. A. Amobeda, praying the court to evict Sanusi from the palace.

Granting the applicant prayers, the court said “That the Respondents either by themselves, their agents, servants, privies or any other person or authority are restrained from inviting, arresting, detaining, threatening, intimidating, harassing the Applicant, raiding, tempering with or visiting the Applicant’s in order to arrest or infringe on his right or in any other way infringe or attempt to infringe the Applicant’s rights pending the hearing and determination of the Originating Motion.

“That the 3rd, 4th and 5th Respondents and all other Respondents are hereby restrained from denying the applicant to use his official residence and palace at the Emir’s Palace, Kofar Kudu as well as enjoyment of all rights and privileges accrued to him by being Emir of Kano State and to evicting anything, anybody residing within the palace illegally pending the hearing and the determination of the originating summons.

“That leave is granted to the bailiff of this Court to serve the 3rd and 4th Respondents with all processes in this suit through the office of the 5th Respondent situated at Police Headquarters, Kano Command, Bompai, Kano State and deeming the service as valid, personal and proper.

“That leave is also granted to the bailiff of this Court to serve the 6 and 7 Respondents with all processes in this suit through their respective Kano offices situated at Giginyu, Kano and Zaria Road, Kano and deeming the service as valid. personal and proper.

“That this Court is mindful of the Order made by my Learned Brother Liman J. on 23 day of May, 2024 in suit No: FHC/KN/CS/182/2024.

“That this Order is made in the interest of Justice and maintenance of peace in Kano State.
“That an Order for expeditious hearing of this suit is made.

“That the filing of the processes by the Respondents is abridged to 72 hours (3 days) from the service of this Order and the Processes of this Honourable Court.

“That the Order and the Processes of this Honourable Court shall be served on all the respondents immediately.

“That this suit is accordingly adjourned to the 4th day of June 2024 for definite hearing.” .

Respondents in the case included the Attorney General of the Federation as the first respondent, the Attorney General of Kano State (2nd), the Nigeria Police Force (3rd), the Inspector General of Police (4th) and the Commissioner of Police Kano Command (5th).

Other respondents included State Security Service (6th), NSCDC (7th), Nigerian Army (8th), Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force as 9th and 10th respectively.

State high court

In another twist, the Kano High Court, presided over by Justice Aminu Adamu Aliyu, sitting at Miller Road, issued a restraining order preventing the police, the DSS and the military from forcibly removing Sanusi 11.

The court action was initiated by Sanusi alongside the four traditional kingmakers of Kano namely; Madakin Kano Yusuf Nabahani; Makaman Kano Ibrahim Sarki Abdullahi; Sarkin Bai Mansur Adnan, and Sarkin Dawaki Maituta Bello Tuta.

Justice Aliyu, in granting the order, also barred the security agencies from arresting or harassing the Emir and his kingmakers.

The court presided over by Justice Amina Aliyu ordered: “That an order of Interim injunction is hereby granted restraining the Respondents either by themselves, their agents, privies, representative, and assigns from further harassing, intimidating, inviting, arresting and or invading the personal or official residence of the Applicants (Gidan Rumfa), his servants and or any of the Kano Emirate kingmakers of doing such acts that would be capable of interfering with the Applicants’ rights generally about this suit pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

“That an order of Interim injunction is hereby granted restraining the Respondents from attempting to hijack, pick, commandeer, confiscate any of twin spear of authority, the Royal Hat of Dabo, the Ostrich feathered shoes, the knife and sword of the Emir of Kano as well as symbols of authority pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

“That an order of Interim injunction is hereby made restraining the Respondents from taking further steps in connection with the matter or maintaining the status quo of staying all actions pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

“That it is further ordered that the respondents are restrained from interfering with the functions, duties of the 1st Applicant as the Emir of Kano pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice dated 28th May, 2024.

“That the motion on notice is adjourned to 13th June, 2024 for hearing,” the order however reads.
The applicants in the case included His Royal Highness, Malam Sunusi Lamido Sunusi, the Emir of Kano, Yusuf Nabahani Chigari, Ibrahim Sarki Abdullahi, Mansur Mukhtar Adnan and Bello Tuta.

The respondents included, the Commissioner of Police Kano State as 1st respondent, Inspector General of Police (2nd), The Director of Department of State Security Services (3rd), the Chief of Defence Staff and Alh. Aminu Ado Bayero was the 4th and 5th respondents respectively.

High security around Bayero

Meanwhile, there was heavy security beef up at Gidan Nassarawa, the Emir’s Guest house, where Bayero is staying.

The security personnel it was observed comprised Police, Army and DSS with their operational vehicles stationed around the vicinity of movement in and out of the area.

The security officers, who mounted a roadblock on the area, said they were acting on instructions.
Sources at the Gidan Nassarawa confirmed that the deposed Emir was currently in the Emir’s guest house around 3 pm but had retired to the inner room.

It was gathered that Bayero had earlier in the day received some of his subjects who paid him homage.
When contacted for the reaction of the Kano State government on the development and continual stay of the deposed Emir, Bayero at the Gidan Nassarawa, the State’s Commissioner of Information, Halilu Dantiye said the matter is in the court.

Call the Kano govt to order

Reacting to the unfolding controversies, a Political ally of former President Muhammadu Buhari and Chairman of Arewa Media Group, AbdulMajid Danbilki-Kwamanda, called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and call Kano State government to order from setting bad precedence.

Danbilki-Kwamanda who spoke to newsmen in Kano, said “What the Kano State Government is doing in violating the Federal High Court order stopping the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi ii was rather setting a bad precedent that will consume everybody.

“We cannot understand why the people who celebrated and used effectively court to maintain their government, will now stand firmly against a substantive Court order that stopped them from carrying out illegality.

“Politics aside, the insistence that the reinstated Emir must stay and continue parading himself as the authentic Emir of Kano, has violated the rules of law and constitutes a threat to the Nation’s Constitution and general wellbeing.

“We call on President Bola Tinubu to as a matter of urgency do the needful by strongly stepping into the matter to bring peace and stability to the State.

“Although I’m a politician, honestly this time around politics aside, there is great danger in what the Kano State Government is doing, the Court injunction must be respected to allow peace to reign.

Allow peace reign

Also reacting, the Northern Professionals Forum, NPF, pleaded with the deposed emir to allow peace to reign in the state.

The group’s Director General, Usman Yusuf, among others, said “Having inductively looked at the issues at stake, and of course, upon our legal luminary’s professional counsel and advice; as well, as expert autopsy of the subject matter we hereby affirm that the actions of the Kano State House of Assembly, was done by the provisions of the law and extant rules.

“Furthermore, the court order halting the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi II; was belatedly executed and came late.

“We, therefore, admonish and call upon the 15th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, to toe the path of honour and dignity, and allow peace to reign in Kano State. We equally enjoin all politicians, who are the authors of balkanising the Long Historic monolithic Kano Emirate, to eschew bitterness and embrace the new law, for the onward progress and continued coexistence of peace-loving people of Kano State.”