By Abiola Olawale
The deposed Emir of Kano Aminu Ado Bayero has secured his first legal victory in the ongoing tussle for the Royal throne in Kano State.
This is as a Federal High Court in Kano has granted an order compelling the Kano state government to respect the fundamental human rights of the deposed monarch.
The presiding judge, Justice Simon Amobeda also slammed an N10 million fine against the Kano State government over the lawful order for Bayero’s arrest and eviction from the palace.
Justice Amobeda held that the order given by Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf for the arrest of Aminu Bayero was unlawful.
The judge, however, declined to authorized an order to nullify the law through which the governor deposed him and reinstated Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II.
Justice Amobeda ruled: “That, the act of the Governor of Kano State in directing the Police to arrest the Applicant without any lawful justification is a threatened breach of the fundamental right to Liberty of the Applicant guaranteed under Section 35(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).
“That, the act of the Governor of Kano State in directing the police to arrest the Applicant without any lawful justification, which directive has forced the Applicant into house arrest, preventing him from going freely about his lawful business, constitutes a flagrant violation of his fundamental right to freedom of movement as guaranteed under Section 41(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).
“That the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Respondents are either by themselves, their agents, servants, privies, or any other person or authority forthwith restrained from arresting, detaining, threatening, intimidating, harassing the Applicant or further interfering with the Applicant’s fundamental rights.
“That the 2nd Respondent and the Government of Kano State shall pay to the Applicant the sum of N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) only for the breach and likely breach of the Applicant fundamental rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).
“The prayer for the cost of filing and prosecuting this suit is refused, the amount having not been specifically pleaded and strictly proved.”
Reacting to the judgement, the Legal Counsel to Ado Bayero, Abdulrazaq Ahmad, said his client has been vindicated by the judgement.
He said the judgement has restrained the state government or any security agencies from breaching the rights of the emir.
The New Diplomat reports that Kano State has been witnessing massive games of thrones after Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf signed some changes in the Kano State Emirate Council Bill into Law 2024.
The newly- signed law dissolved four new Emirates in the State and restored Kano Emirate to its pre-2019 status on Thursday, May 23.
Yusuf also issued a reappointment letter to Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II on Friday, May 24, as the new Emir of Kano, and ordered the Emirs affected by the new law to vacate their palaces within 48 hours.
