The Court of Appeal in Abuja has annulled a Kano State High Court ruling that barred Aminu Ado-Bayero, the 15th Emir of Kano, and four other dethroned emirs—of Bichi, Rano, Gaya, and Karaye—from parading themselves as traditional rulers.
In a judgment delivered on Friday, a three-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Mustapha ruled that the Kano High Court’s decision of July 15, 2024, was fundamentally flawed and violated the principles of fair hearing. The appellate court ordered the Chief Judge of the Kano State High Court to reassign the case to another judge for fresh proceedings.
The Court of Appeal criticized the legal process and the decision of the lower court, describing them as “tainted by breaches of fair hearing” and detrimental to the integrity of the judicial system.
This ruling adds a new layer of complexity to the Kano emirate crisis, which has been characterized by conflicting court decisions and competing claims to the throne. The dispute intensified in 2023 when Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf signed a law reinstating the previously dethroned Emir Lamido Sanusi and dissolving the four additional emirates—Gaya, Karaye, Rano, and Bichi—created by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
As a result, the governor merged the emirates back into a singular Kano emirate, dethroning the emirs of the four additional emirates and Aminu Ado-Bayero, who had been appointed as the Emir of Kano following Sanusi’s removal in 2020. The ruling is the latest development in a series of legal battles over the governance of the historic Kano emirate.
