Kwara Monarchs Drag Ilorin Emir, Sulu-Gambari To Court

Two traditional leaders in Kwara State has challenged Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the Emir of Ilorin before a Kwara State High Court for enthroning an ‘unwanted’ man as a leader in the Jebba community.

Naija News understands that the Oba of Jebba in the Moro Local Government Area of the state, Oba Abdulkadir Adebara, and his counterpart, the Serikin Hausawa of the town, Yusuf Gwadabe, filed a case against the monarch over his plan to make one Nasir Iliyasu, as the Serikin Hausawa of Jebba in Ilorin.

It was revealed in the suit that Sulu-Gambari scheduled Friday, July 2 for the installation of Iliyasu the new traditional head of the ancient city.

In the suit filed before Justice E. B. Mohammad and argued on Thursday, the traditional rulers prayed the court to restrained Sulu-Gambari from the planned turbaning. The counsel for the plaintiffs, Adekunle Bamidele, said that Yusuf Gwadabe was the recognised Serikin Hausawa of Jebba, having been installed since 2017 with a letter of recognition acknowledging him as the authentic titleholder by one Kinrinjin Adebara for the then chairman of the Moro LGA.

Bamidele prayed the court “to restrain Alhaji Sulu-Gambari, the Emir of Ilorin, from turbaning the first defendant, Nasir Iliyasu, as the Serikin Hausawa of Jebba in Ilorin, the state capital, on July 2, 2021.”

Justice Mohammad, who admitted that the Jebba’s monarch has the sole authority to install lesser chiefs in his domain, declined to grant the injunction.

But, he ordered that the hearing notice be served immediately on the emir and Illyasu. According to the judge, if the defendants are law-abiding, they must stop the activities of installation, pending the determination of the suit filed before him.

He subsequently adjourned proceedings till July 28, 2021.