Sallah: Crisis Looms In Kano As Dethroned Emir Bayero Plans Durbar

The dethroned Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, has extended an invitation to all district heads in Kano Emirate to participate in the annual traditional durbar event in celebration of Eid-el-Kabir festival.

LEADERSHIP reports that Bayero’s plan to host the durbar comes amid his dethronement by the Kano State Government and the attendant legal tussle over the Kano Emirship.

The announcement, detailed in a circular signed by a senior councilor, Alhaji Abbas Sanusi, who is the Galadiman Kano, marked a significant move by the embattled Bayero to assert his position as the ‘Emir of Kano’.

The circular, dated June 10, 2024, called on district heads to gather at Aminu Ado Bayero’s palace at Gidan Nassarawa, for the traditional durbar ceremony.

“We are directing all the district heads of the emirate to come along with their village heads, their horse riders, and praise singers for the festivities. Also, we are directing all the district heads to converge at Aminu Ado Bayero’s palace at Gidan Nassarawa on Saturday, Zhulhijjah 9, 1445 equivalent to June 15 at 11 am for further directives without delay or insubordination,” the circular read.

Following the Tuesday’s Kano High Court sitting on the emirship tussle, Bayero is expected to meet with all district heads to outline the proceedings for this year’s durbar celebrations. The circular also noted that local government chairmen have been informed to facilitate the smooth transportation of district heads to Kano metropolis for the occasion.

Meanwhile, legal proceedings concerning the Kano throne continue to unfold. The lack of service of court processes on Bayero stalled the hearing on Tuesday in the Kano State High Court.

The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel, reported difficulties in serving court papers on Bayero and four other dethroned emirs of defunct Bichi, Rano, Gaya, and Karaye Emirates.

Counsel to the applicants, Ibrahim Isah-Wangida Esq, filed a motion ex parte on May 27, 2024, seeking to restrain the dethroned emirs from parading themselves as emirs.

The respondents, including Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero (Kano), Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero (Bichi), Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar II (Karaye), Alhaji Kabiru Muhammad-Inuwa (Rano), and Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim-Gaya (Gaya), were not successfully served due to a Federal High Court order preventing their arrest and intimidation.

Abdulsalam Saleh, counsel to the Inspector-General of Police, explained to the court that efforts to serve the respondents were unsuccessful. Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, however, criticised the failure to serve the papers, stating that the law requires only the service of documents and not the enforcement of arrest or intimidation.

The case was adjourned to June 24 for further hearing.

LEADERSHIP reports that on May 27, the court had issued an interim injunction restraining the dethroned emirs from presenting themselves as emirs, aiming to maintain peace in Kano. The court directed that the service of documents be carried out through the office of the Kano Commissioner of Police.

This legal battle follows the recent repeal of the Kano Emirates Council law 2019 and reenactment of Kano Emirate Law 2024, by the State House of Assembly on May 23, which was swiftly assented to by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, effectively dissolving the four newly created emirates. The governor subsequently reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano, adding another layer of complexity to the unfolding situation surrounding the Kano royal rumble.