Court Orders Bayero to Stop Parading as Emir, Directs Police to Evict Him from Palace

A court order issued by Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu of the Kano High Court has directed Aminu Ado Bayero to stop presenting himself as the 15th Emir of Kano and has instructed the police to remove him from the mini palace at State Road.

This order, effective until June 11, 2024, was given on Monday pending the hearing of the substantive motion.

The legal dispute arose following a Federal High Court decision that prevented the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sunusi II as Emir of Kano and suspended the law that established the five dissolved emirates in the state.

Despite this ruling, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has contested it, alleging that the judge who issued it was in the US, and plans to escalate the matter to the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), maintaining that Muhammadu Sanusi II should be recognized as the Emir of Kano.

In defiance of the initial ruling, Sanusi II took up residence in the emir’s palace and resumed his duties on Friday, while Bayero, who was away when deposed, returned to Kano on Saturday and was escorted to a mini palace on State Road under tight security.

The Kano Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Gumel, and other security officials have affirmed their dedication to enforcing the court’s directives, ensuring that the order restraining Sanusi as Emir is strictly adhered to.

The court order also extends to other traditional rulers, preventing Nasiru Ado Bayero, Ibrahim Abubakar II, Kabiru Muhammad Inuwa, and Aliyu Ibrahim Gaya from acting as emirs of Bichi, Gaya, Rano, and Karaye, respectively.

The defendants in this case include 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 Defense Corps, and the Nigerian Army.