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Emir Of Kano: Court Fixes Date To Rule On Sanusi’s Suit Against Ganduje Gov’t

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'Kano Electorate' Demand Return Of Sanusi Lamido As Emir Of Kano
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The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed a date to rule on a suit by deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, challenging his banishment to Awe in Nasarawa State.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje-led government had on March 9, 2020, banished the former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor over alleged insubordination, Naija News recalls.

Sanusi was subsequently replaced by Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. His letter of appointment was presented to him by the Kano State Government barely 48 hours after Sanusi was dethroned.

Naija News reports that Sanusi’s dethronement followed the State Council executive meeting presided over by Governor Ganduje himself.

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In a statement by Alhaji Usman Alhaji, the Secretary to the State Government, it was alleged that Emir Sanusi was disrespectful to lawful instructions from the office of the governor and other lawful authorities.

He was confined to Nasarawa until his release on March 13, 2020, following an interim order by Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Months after, Justice Chikere of the Federal High Court on Friday fixed November 30 to deliver his judgment on the suit filed by the deposed emir.

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His declaration follows after entertaining the final arguments from lawyers representing parties in the fundamental rights enforcement suit.

Respondents in the suit are the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), the Attorney-General of Kano State and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

Meanwhile, Sanusi’s lead counsel, Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), had told the court that the case was not a chieftaincy matter because his client was not challenging his deposition.

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The lawyer said his client’s complaint was about the way he was shabbily treated after his deposition.

Mahmoud faulted the respondents’ challenge to the Abuja court’s jurisdiction to hear the case, arguing that no law supports the position that where rights violation occurs across several jurisdictions, one cannot approach a court in any of the jurisdictions.

The lawyer also argued that from the way his client was treated, his rights were violated, and he ought to seek protection through the court. He thereby urged the court to grant all the reliefs the ex-Emir sought in the suit.

In his defence, legal counsel to the IGP, Victor Okoye, faulted the competence of the suit and queried the court’s jurisdiction to hear it.

He noted that the instrument conveying the ex-Emir’s banishment was authored and endorsed by an official of the Kano State government in the state.

The lawyer averred that the appropriate venue for Sanusi to seek redress for the alleged violation of his rights was a court in Kano State.

Okoye urged the court to either strike out the case or dismiss it.

On his part also, the lawyer to SSS DG, Godwin Agbadua, challenged the court’s jurisdiction.

He urged the court to strike out the suit because the alleged rights violation occurred in Kano, adding that there was a Federal High Court in Kano before which Sanusi could seek redress.

“Where there is infringement in sequence, the court with jurisdiction is that where the alleged infringement commenced, which by the applicant’s affidavit, is Kano and there is a Federal High Court in Kano,” he added.