Prominent human rights lawyer and former Chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has voiced his concerns over a recent ruling by the Court of Appeal, describing it as an “extraordinary set of orders.”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Odinkalu criticized the appellate panel’s decision to issue a mandatory injunction, which he argued was not a stay of execution but a direct restraint on the earlier judgment.

Odinkalu also pointed out that the presiding judge of the panel only joined the Court of Appeal in late 2023.

The panel, which included Justices Okon Efret Abang, Eberechi Suzanne Nyesom-Wike, and Oyejoju Oyebiola Oyewumi, was reviewing an application related to Appeal No. CA/KN/27/M/2025, a case involving multiple parties including the Kano State House of Assembly, the Attorney General of Kano State, and various security agencies.

The application, filed on February 6, 2025, sought an injunction to prevent the enforcement of a previous ruling in the case of Kano State House of Assembly & Anor. vs. Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi & Ors.

The earlier judgment, handed down by Justices Mohammad Mustapha, Gabriel Omoniyi Kolawole, and another appellate judge, was now effectively restrained by the latest order from the same court.

This ruling, issued by the Court of Appeal in Abuja on March 14, 2025, prevents the enforcement of a prior judgment that upheld the Kano State Government’s repeal of the 2019 Emirate Council Law. The decision is pending the outcome of a related appeal before the Supreme Court.

The Court of Appeal also overturned a June 20 order by Justice Abubakar Liman of the Federal High Court in Kano, which had nullified actions taken by the Kano State Government under the 2024 Emirate Council (Repeal) Law, including the appointment of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the 16th Emir of Kano.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the Kano State Government filed an appeal with the Supreme Court and requested an injunction from the Court of Appeal to halt the enforcement of its judgment. The Court of Appeal granted the injunction, maintaining the status quo until the Supreme Court makes its final decision.

This legal battle, which centers on jurisdictional issues and the dissolution of new emirates in Kano State, continues to spark intense debate.

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