A group of evicted palace officials and their families have dragged the 14th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, and 12 others to court over what they described as illegal eviction and destruction of their homes within the palace premises.
The case, filed before the High Court of Justice in Bichi Judicial Division, is being presided over by Justice Musa Ahmad.
The applicants—nine senior traditional titleholders, including Usman Dako (Galadiman Sallama), Auwalu Maikudi (Sarkin Lema), and Sani Mohammad (Sani Kwano)—are asking the court to intervene after they were forcefully evicted last week in the heat of the ongoing emirate leadership crisis.
The suit, with case number K/M1607/2025, names Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Kano Emirate Council, the Inspector General of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and others as respondents.
The court has ordered all parties involved to maintain the status quo ante—a legal order that suspends further actions until the matter is resolved.
Kano Times earlier reported that tensions escalated last week when families of officials believed to be loyal to the deposed Emir Aminu Ado Bayero were told to vacate their homes inside the palace.
An inside source told Kano Times that roofs of some houses were forcibly removed by suspected thugs allegedly linked to loyalists of the reinstated Emir Sanusi.
In a video shared on social media, Usman Dako, Galadiman Sallama and one of the affected persons, recounted how his family was thrown out and their home vandalized.
“My grandfather died in 1949 and my father died in 1995. My father was born in this palace, I was also born in the palace. So don’t I deserve all the privileges and rights in the palace?” he asked.
Dako alleged that his house was demolished by hoodlums and that his wife and children were subjected to harassment.
“The people harassing us were not born in the palace. We know where they were and what they were doing before Emir Sanusi brought them close to him,” he claimed.
“Several servants had shown disloyalty to past emirs, including the late Ado Bayero, but none of them were evicted. The house they destroyed was allocated to my father by the late Ado Bayero.”
He continued, “You cannot do this to even non-Muslims. We are Muslims. Even our grandparents were Muslims when they were captured as slaves to serve in the palace, so we don’t deserve this treatment.”
Dako also reaffirmed his allegiance to the 15th emir. “Nobody can stop me from being loyal to Aminu Ado Bayero. His late father treated us well. Wherever he goes—whether as emir or commoner—we will follow him because God destined us to serve and love him.”
The court further granted an order for substituted service of the court processes on several respondents, including the Inspector General of Police, through courier to their respective offices in Abuja.
This legal action is one of several fallout cases from the emirship crisis that began in May 2024, when Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf signed a new law that removed five emirs—including Ado Bayero—and restored Muhammadu Sanusi II as the sole Emir of Kano.
The development has deepened divisions within the traditional system and triggered a series of court cases, with the current suit adding another layer to the unfolding crisis.
