A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has ordered the state government to pay the sum of N10million to the deposed Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, over the violation of his fundamental rights.
The presiding judge, Simon Amobeda, gave the judgment on Friday, while delivering the verdict in a suit filed by Ado Bayero marked FHC/CS/190/2024.
In the judgment, Amobeda also restrained security operatives who are respondents in the matter, “from arresting, detaining, harassing the applicant.”
Amobeda held 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).”
Consequently, Amobeda ruled that “the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents (attorney-general of Kano, Nigeria police force, IGP and Kano commissioner of police) 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 (attorney-general) and the government of Kano state shall pay to the applicant the sum of N10,000,000.00 only for the breach and likely breach of the applicant’s fundamental rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).”
The drama regarding the Kano Emirate ensured back in May this year, when Muhammadu Sanusi was reinstated as emir by Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano.
Sanusi’s reinstatement followed the repeal of the law that Abdullahi Ganduje, the former governor of Kano, used to depose and exile him in 2020.
Last month, the court in Kano ordered the state government not to enforce the Emirate Council Repeal Law 2024.
Bayero returned to Kano from a trip to Ogun and moved into a palace in Nassarawa LGA.
But the Kano governor ordered Bayero’s arrest “for creating tension in the state”.
