Musa Na Allah, Sokoto
The Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto on Monday affirmed its earlier judgment on the illegal dethronement of the 19th Emir of Gwandu, Almustapha Haruna Jokolo.
The presiding judge Justice Ebiowei Tobi while reaffirming the court’s earlier judgement also dismissed the appeal filed by the Kebbi State Government challenging the earlier court judgment in favour of the former Emir for lack of merit.
The Court according to Justice Tobi was satisfied with the judgment passed on the matter by Justice Abbas Ahman of Kebbi state High Court 6, adding that the deposition of the 19th Emir of Gwandu was contrary to the law and that due process was not followed.
The judge declared that the dethronement was null and void as he was not given a level ground to clear himself of the allegations against him, which infringed on his fundamental human rights as a citizen.
Jokolo was dethroned as Emir of Gwandu by the Kebbi State Government in June 2005 under the administration of the former Governor of the state, Muhammadu Adamu Aliero.
Justice Tobi further reaffirmed the judgment of the Kebbi State High Court presided by Justice Abbas Ahman, affirming that, the deposition of the 19th Emir of Gwandu, Haruna Jakolo, was contrary to law and that due process was not followed.
Mustapha Jokolo was a former military officer and an Aide De Camp (ADC) to former Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) in 1983.
Jokolo ascended the throne of Gwandu Emirate as the Emir of Gwandu in July 1995 shortly after he retired from the Nigerian Army as a Major, following the death of his father, Haruna Al-Rasheed.
Years after he ascended the throne as the 19th Emir of Gwandu, he was dethroned by the then Kebbi State Governor Muhammadu Adamu Aliero on June 3, 2005, and banished to Lafia in Nasarawa state.
The state government had leveled three allegations against him specifically, Jokolo accusing him of making misguided statements capable of threatening national security and being not on good terms with other traditional rulers in the state.
The state government also accused the monarch of abandoning his throne for Kaduna and at one time relocated to Kaduna with his family.
The then Kebbi State Commissioner for Information, Mohammed Audi Ambursa, who announced Jokolo’s dethronement in Birnin Kebbi explained that Aliero had acted based on powers conferred on him by section six of the Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) laws of the state.
The state government appointed a new Emir, Major General Muhammad Bashir Iliyasu (rtd), as the 20th Emir of Gwandu to succeed Jokolo.
Speaking to Journalists shortly after the judgment at the appeal court premises, counsel to the former Emir, Almustapha Haruna Jokolo, Barrister Pascal C Onyetobi Esq., said the judgment delivered by the Appellant court marks another milestone in the former Emir’s struggle for Justice.
He said the former Emir has won his appeal three times consecutively and now waiting for the Supreme Court to deliver its final ruling on the matter.
“I am optimistic, the Supreme Court will deliver judgment in favour of my client,” Glory be to God for securing yet another verdict in our favour before his lordship, Justice Ibiowei Tobi.
Counsel to Kebbi state government and President Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Barrister Maikyau SAN, said: We would study the judgment to see the possibility of heading to Supreme Court, hence we were there already.
“We will study the case and we will more likely go back to the supreme court where it may terminate since there is room for appeal,” Maikyau SAN said.
