Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman of the Federal High Court in Kano has transferred the case between the deposed Emir Aminu Ado Bayero and the state government to Justice Simon Amobeda.
The case was transferred due to Justice Liman’s elevation to the Court of Appeal. The Kano House of Assembly had repealed the Kano Emirate Council (Amendment No. 2) law, dethroning Aminu Ado Bayero as Emir of Kano and reversing the creation of four other emirates. However, Justice Liman set aside the repealment of the law by the state government, ruling the appointment of Muhammadu Sanusi II as null and void.
Justice Liman described the state government’s actions as a road to anarchy and ordered the restoration of the Kano Emirate Council Law 2019. Reacting to the ruling, human rights activist Chidi Odinkalu criticized Justice Liman for overstepping Supreme Court jurisdiction without proper authorization.
Odinkalu alleged that the judgement was tainted by scandal and promised to disclose further details in due time. He stated, “Anyone who does this is a rogue, not a judge.” The transfer of the case to Justice Amobeda caused several reactions, highlighting the controversy surrounding the legal proceedings in Kano.