Emirship Tussle: Court To Hear Defamation Suit Against Emir Of Zazzau Over RFI Interview

The controversy surrounding the 2020 succession to the Zazzau throne has taken a legal turn. Members of the royal family have dragged the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, before the Kaduna State High Court over remarks made in a recent interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI).
Dr Nasiru Bashari Aminu, son of the late Iyan Zazzau, Prince Bashari Aminu, filed the suit alleging defamation. He claims the Emir falsely suggested during the RFI interview that confidential details of the succession process had been leaked to his late father by the then-Wazirin Zazzau, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu.

The family insists the remarks were false, defamatory, and an assault on the dignity and memory of the late prince.

Court filings sighted by this newspaper show that the case has been slated for hearing on November 4, 2025, at the Zaria Judicial Division of the High Court of Kaduna State.

The Emir now faces two separate suits arising from the same interview. In addition to Dr Nasiru’s case, former Wazirin Zazzau, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu, sued the Emir for defamation. challenging his description of him as “arrogant” and insinuating that he leaked sensitive information during the 2020 succession battle.

The suits, brought by two of the emirate’s most senior figures and their families, highlight the gravity of the Emir’s comments. Both plaintiffs argue that his words, aired internationally, carried the weight of authority but inflicted reputational damage on respected elders of the emirate.

The issue is especially sensitive for the late Iya Bashari Aminu‘s family. Though he secured the highest votes from kingmakers during the 2020 succession, he was not selected. Yet, the family notes, he never maligned the institution, instead urging his children and kinsmen to pledge loyalty to the newly installed Emir while he sought legal redress in court. To now cast him in the light of impropriety, years after his death, they insist, is an injury too grave to ignore.

Legal observers point out that the Emir’s remarks may have been ill-judged, given the sanctity accorded to the memory of deceased royals in Hausa-Fulani tradition and the broad reach of an international broadcast. They argue that the fallout has transformed a family‘s demand for an apology into a high-profile legal showdown.

Analysts also warn that the case could have implications for the emirate‘s image, with the Emir expected to defend his words in open court rather than under the authority of the throne.

As the November 4th hearing approaches, anticipation is high within Zaria and beyond. The trial is closely watched as it pits memory against power, tradition against recklessness, and the quest for dignity against contested narratives.