A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has ordered the police to evict Lamido Sanusi from Emir’s Palace in Kofar Kudu, Kano.
Ruling on an ex parte motion filed by the Emir of Kano, Aminu Bayero, on Tuesday, the court, presided over by Justice S. A. Amobeda, also ordered the police to ensure all rights and privileges due to Emir Bayero are given to him.
The court also restrained the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, the Kano Commissioner of Police, and the seven other respondents in the suit from denying Bayero the use of 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 virtue of being the Emir of Kano State.
The judge, who granted the order after hearing from M.L. Yusufari, SAN, appearing with Abdul Muhammad SAN, Abdul Adamu Fagge Esq, Abdulrazak A. Ahmad Esq, and Bashiru Ibrahim Esq, who are counsels for the applicant, said the move is in the interest of justice and the maintenance of peace in Kano State.
According to the court’s document obtained in Kano, the orders read in full :
“1. AN ORDER of interim injunction restraining the Respondents either by themselves, their agents, servants, privies, or any other person or authority 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 order to arrest or infringe on his right or in any other way infringe or atempt to infringe the applicant’s rights pending the hearing and determination of the Originating Motion.
- An order restraining the 3rd, 4th, and 5th respondents and all other respondents from denying the applicant the right the right 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 virtue of being the Emir of Kano State, and to evicting anybody residing within the palace illegally pending the hearing and the determination of the originating summons.
- An order granting leave to the bailiff of this court to serve the 3rd and 4th respondents with all processes in this suit through the office of the fifth respondent situated at Police Headquarters, Kano Command, Bompai, Kano State, and deeming the service as valid, and
- An order granting leave to the bailiff of this Court to serve the 6th and 7th 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.
And for such other orders as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.”
The suit, which has the Attorney General of the Federation, the Attorney General of Kano State, the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector General of Police,, Commissioner of Police, Kano Command, State Security Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, and Nigerian Air Force, as defendants, has been adjourned to the 4th of June for hearing.
Recall that the Kano Emirship tussle began following the decision of the Kano House of Assembly to repeal the law that led to the creation of five emirates in the state and the appointment of Aminu Bayero as Emir of Kano.
The repeal paved the way for the purported reinstatement of Sanusi and the reported dethronement of Aminu Bayero.
But on May 23, a federal high court in Kano ordered the state government not to enforce the Emirate Council Repeal Law 2024, an order that was blatantly ignored by the Governor Abba Yusuf-led Kano government.
Bayero returned to Kano from a trip to Ogun on Saturday and moved into a palace in Nassarawa Local Government Area, while Sanusi occupied the palace at Kofar Kudu.
The development prompted the Kano governor to order Bayero’s arrest, but the police said they would abide by the court’s order, which put a hold on the implementation of the amended Kano Emirate law.