A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday declared the banishment of the former emir of Kano Sanusi Lamido from Kano by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje as unlawful and a violation of his fundamental human rights.
Sanusi was banished from Kano and forcefully taken to Nasarawa State following his dethronement in March 2020.
Justice Anwuli Chikere, however, ruled that the manner Sanusi was forcefully removed from the palace after his dethronement and taken by operatives of the police and Department of State Security (DSS) against his will was a vicious violation of his rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement.
Justice Chikere, who declared as a nullity, the Emirate Council Law 2019 under which the Kano State Government claimed to have acted, held that as a citizen of Nigeria, who has committed no offence, Sanusi was entitled to reside in any part of the country.
Consequently, Chikere awarded N10 million damages against the Kano State Government, inspector general of police (IGP) and the DSS. He also ordered them to offer public apology to Sanusi in at least two national dailies.
Chikere excluded the attorney general of the federation (AGF) from the suit on the grounds that Sanusi failed to establish his case against the AGF who was the fourth respondent.
