Police take over Sanusi’s palace in Kano

The police have reportedly stormed the emir’s palace in Kano state and displaced the local guards protecting Muhammadu Sanusi, the recently reinstated emir.

According to Premium Times, the hunters who served as local guards left the palace as soon as the police officers took over the security of the building.

This was said to be a move aimed at securing the main palace for the relocation of Aminu Bayero, the deposed 15th Emir of Kano, following a court order that faulted his dethronement.

On Thursday, a federal high court in Kano nullified all actions of the state government repealing the Emirates Council Law of 2019.

In his ruling, Muhammad Liman, the presiding judge, said the defendants were aware of an interim order previously granted by the court but ignored it and implemented the law.

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On May 23, the Kano house of assembly passed the amended bill, which Abba Yusuf, the governor, signed into law.

The law repealed the 2019 version, which divided the Kano emirate into five jurisdictions and was relied upon to dethrone Muhammadu Sanusi as emir in 2020.

On the same day the law was repealed, Sanusi was reinstated as Emir of Kano by kingmakers and the governor.

Aggrieved, Aminu Babba Dan Agundi and Sarkin Dawaki Babba of the Kano emirate approached the court to restrain the respondents from enforcing, implementing, and operationalising the law that reinstated Sanusi.

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On May 23, Liman ordered the defendants to “suspend” and “not give effect to the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law, 2024, as they affect all offices and institutions of the Emirate Council created according to the provisions of the Kano State Emirate Council Law, 2019”.

The Kano police command had also said it would not comply with the directive of the state government on the eviction of Bayero from the Nassarawa palace which he moved into after he was replaced by Sanusi, the new emir, who moved into the main palace in Kano.

Since then, Bayero, who is said to have the backing of some federal government officials, has been under the protection of a retinue of soldiers and police officers at the Nassarawa palace.