National Telescope national telescope newspaper
By Lami Victor KADUNA|
The hearing on the Kano Emirship tussle at the Kano State High Court was postponed on Tuesday due to the failure of lawyers to serve court papers on the respondents.
At the court session, the applicants’ lawyers reported that they were unable to serve legal documents on Aminu Ado-Bayero, the 15th Emir of Kano, and four other emirs.
The other respondents are Nasiru Ado-Bayero, Emir of Bichi; Ibrahim Abubakar ll, Emir of Karaye; Kabiru Muhammad-Inuwa, Emir of Rano; and Aliyu Ibrahim-Gaya, Emir of Gaya.
Abdulsalam Saleh, counsel to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), informed the court that efforts to serve the five respondents were unsuccessful.
“My lord, we filed an affidavit of service. We have made every effort to serve all five emirs, but we were unable to reach them,” Saleh stated.
“There was an order from the federal high court preventing the police from arresting, intimidating, or harassing the respondents; hence, we could not serve them,” he added.
Eyitayo Fatogun, counsel to the applicants, requested additional time to file the necessary applications to serve the respondents.
Presiding Judge Amina Adamu-Aliyu clarified that the court order prohibiting the arrest of the respondents did not prevent the service of legal documents.
“As far as the law is concerned, you are only serving them papers; the earlier order cannot stop you,” the judge said.
“How can you claim to protect the first respondent and yet be unable to serve him?” she questioned.
The judge adjourned the case until June 24 to hear the motion on notice.
The applicants in this case include the Attorney-General of Kano State, the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, and the Kano State House of Assembly. They are seeking a court order to restrain Ado-Bayero and the other four emirs from presenting themselves as traditional rulers.
Other respondents in the suit include the IGP, the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Nigerian Army.
On May 27, Judge Adamu-Aliyu issued an order preventing Bayero from presenting himself as the Emir of Kano pending the outcome of the suit. She also restrained the four other emirs of the disbanded emirates from presenting themselves as monarchs in Kano.
On May 28, the court further restrained the police, the DSS, and the Nigerian Army from evicting Muhammadu Sanusi II, the reinstated Emir of Kano. Sanusi was reinstated by Kano Governor Abba Yusuf in a ceremony at the Government House on May 24.
The Kano State House of Assembly repealed the law that former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje used to depose and exile Sanusi in 2020. This repeal enabled Sanusi’s reinstatement and Bayero’s dethronement.On May 23, a federal high court in Kano ordered the state government not to enforce the Emirate Council Repeal Law 2024. Bayero returned to Kano from Ogun State on Saturday and moved into a palace in Nassarawa LGA.
The Kano governor ordered Bayero’s arrest for allegedly creating tension in the state. A detachment of soldiers has been guarding the Nassarawa palace since the arrest order.
Subsequently, Kano Commissioner of Police Usaini Gumel stated that security agencies would comply with the court order regarding Sanusi’s reinstatement.Lami Victor KADUNA
