The governor of Kano State, Mr Abba Yusuf has directed the police to arrest the deposed Emir of Kano, Aminu Bayero.
Bayero was said to have arrived in Kano in the wee hours of Saturday (today) after his ouster on Thursday.
The directive for his arrest was announced in a statement issued by the spokesperson to the governor, Mr Sanusi Bature.
Bature said the former Emir was clandestinely brought into Kano in an attempt to reclaim his position two days after being removed by the governor.
He said the reinstated Emir arrived at the palace in the company of Yusuf, the deputy governor, Mr Aminu Gwarzo, the speaker of the state house of assembly, Mr Jibrin Falgore and other top government functionaries at 1:00am on Saturday (today).
“As the chief security officer of the state, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has directed the commissioner of police to arrest the deposed Emir with immediate effect for disturbing public peace and attempting to destroy the relative peace the state enjoys,” the statement reads.
Recall that the Kano State house of assembly had yesterday dissolved all the four emirate councils created during the administration of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of the state, Mr Abdullahi Ganduje.
The new law entitled ‘Kano State Emirates Council (Amendment number 2) Bill, 2024’ passed by the House of Assembly and assented to by the state governor, Mr Abba Yusuf, repealed the ‘Kano Emirate Council Law 2019’, ‘Kano State Emir’s Appointment and Deposition Amendment Law 2019’ and ‘Kano State Emirate Council Amendment Law 2023’ which created five emirates in Kano and paved the way for the deposition of Sanusi.
Consequently, Yusuf announced the reappointed of Sanusi as the Emir of Kano.
In addition, the governor deposed five emirs appointed by Ganduje and issued a 48-hour ultimatum to them to vacate their official quarters and palaces.
He also directed them to hand over all affairs to the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs.
Those affected by the directive included the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero; Emir of Bichi, Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero; Emir of Karaye; Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar II; Emir of Gaya, Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim and the Emir of Rano, Alhaji Kabiru Inuwa.
Recall also that a Federal High Court in Kano had issued an order stopping the state government from enforcing the Emirate Council Repeal Law.
Justice Mohammed Liman granted the order in an application filed by the Sarkin Dawaki Babba of the Kano Emirate, Mr Aminu Babba Dan Agundi.
The petitioner listed the Kano State Government, the house of assembly, the speaker, the attorney general, the commissioner of police, the inspector general of police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the State Security Service as respondents.
The judge ruled: “That parties are hereby ordered to maintain status quo ante the passage and assent of the bill into law pending the hearing of the fundamental rights application.
“That in view of the constitutional and jurisdictional issues apparent on the face of the application, parties shall address the court on same at the hearing of the fundamental rights application which is fixed for the 3rd of June, 2024.
“That in order to maintain the peace and security of the state, an interim injunction of this honourable court is granted restraining the fifth to eight respondents (CP, IGP, NSCDC and DSS) from enforcing, executing, implementing and operationalising the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law.
“That parties are hereby ordered to maintain status quo ante the passage and assent of the bill into law pending the hearing of the Fundamental Rights application.
“That this case is adjourned to the 3rd day of June 2024, for hearing of the fundamental rights application.”
However, the governor defied the court’s order saying the judge who gave the ruling did so from the United States.
Yusuf threatened to report Justice Liman to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for allegedly issuing the order from abroad.
“I assented to the law some minutes past 5pm …that 2am in the midnight, there was a court injunction.
“Even the judge that gave the court order was in America but he gave the order via online. That he gave us order in Kano.
“It is compulsory for law makers to also abide by the law.
“I will table this kind of abnormalities before the Nigeria Governor’s Forum so that we can tackle it accordingly.
“We followed due process and that’s why we did what we did openly before everybody,” he said.
