The Court of Appeal in Abuja has slammed the Federal High Court in Kano for poking its nose where it doesn’t belong. In a split decision of two Justices against one, the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court has absolutely no business meddling in Kano State’s chieftaincy matters, a domain strictly reserved for the Kano State High Court.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole, who delivered the lead judgment, was very strict. He made it clear that the Federal High Court overstepped its bounds and had no jurisdiction over the traditional leadership issues rocking Kano. His solution? Send the case back to the Kano State High Court, where it should have been in the first place.
Presiding Justice Mustapha Mohammed and another Justice agreed that the Federal High Court was way out of line. However, they were not in support of Kolawole’s idea of handing the case back to the Kano Chief Judge for reassignment. Instead, they argued that the entire case should be struck out, because the Federal High Court shouldn’t have touched it to begin with.
So, after months of dragging this matter through the courts, the lawsuit has been thrown out. The Federal High Court’s involvement has officially been declared a waste of time. The throne remains contested, and the people of Kano are still left wondering who truly holds authority over their revered traditions.