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Ado Bayero: Kano Govt Ordered To Pay ₦10 Million To Deposed Emir

Published

6 months ago

Jun 14, 2024.

A Federal High Court in Kano upheld the deposed Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero’s rights to movement and civil liberty.
The court ordered the Kano State Government to pay N10 million in damages to the former Emir.
Justice Simon Amobeda confirmed the court’s jurisdiction, citing the abuse of fundamental human rights.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that a Federal High Court in Kano upheld the rights to movement and civil liberty of the deposed Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, on Friday. The court also ordered the Kano State Government to pay N10 million in damages to the 15th Emir.

In his judgment, the Presiding Judge of the Federal High Court 3, Justice Simon Amobeda, accepted the applicant counsel’s withdrawal of reliefs Order 1-2, recognizing their legal right to do so, thereby excluding them from the case.

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Justice Amobeda emphasized his duty to address the court’s jurisdiction before proceeding with the main case. He confirmed the court’s jurisdiction, stating that the case involved the abuse of the applicant’s fundamental human rights, which the Constitution empowers the court to oversee.

He said the relying points of the applicants are reliefs 2-7 seeking among others payments of N5 bn as damages for threatening his human rights.

“It the duty of the court to protect the rights of every citizen but that protection cannot be done in a vacuum, a person crying violation of his fundamental human rights must provide cogent and vital evidence to that effect to which the applicant has successfully provided,” the judge said.

He said in 2019, the Kano State Government used the kingmakers to select a new emir, but surprisingly on Friday, May 23, 2024, the government used social media to propagate that he had deposed the applicant and declared that police should arrest him after giving him 48 hours to vacate the palace.

Deposed Emir

“I hold that without any lawful justification, the applicant is threatened, breaching his fundamental rights to liberty as guaranteed in Section 35(1) of the 1999 Constitution.

“Similarly, there is an act of the government which has forced the applicant to a house arrest, preventing him from going about his lawful business, constitutes a flagrant violation of his fundamental rights to freedom of movement as guaranteed under section 41(1) of the 1999 Constitution.

“That the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Respondents that is the Police, the DSS, Army, Air force, Navy, are either by themselves, their agents, servants, privies or any other person’s or authority forthwith restraint from arresting, detaining, harassing the applicant.

“That the second respondent and the Government of Kano State should pay the sum of N10 million for breach and likely breach of his Fundamental Right to Personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed in the 1999 constitution,” the judge said.

He, however, struck out the prayer of the cost of filing and prosecuting.