THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has described the contradictory court orders delivered by two courts in Kano State over the ongoing emirship tussle in the state as shameful.
This is even as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, has also summoned judges involved in the issue.
In a statement released on Wednesday, May 29, NBA president Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau noted that the conduct of the courts had caused severe damage to the legal profession.
“Conducts of counsel and the courts in the handling of the proceedings which culminated in the orders issued by the Federal High Court, the Kano State High Court and again the Federal High Court, in circus, have brought utter disgrace and shame to the profession and have exposed the entire legal profession in Nigeria to public ridicule.
“The damage is one that would take the legal profession a long time to recover from. It is unfortunate and was totally uncalled for,” he said.
The statement is in reaction to opposing judgements delivered by the federal and state high courts over who the rightful emir of Kano state is.
On Tuesday, May 28, a Federal High Court ordered the eviction of the reinstated Lamido Sanusi from the official palace.
The presiding judge, S.A. Amobeda, granted an ex parte motion filed by the applicant, Aminu Ado Bayero, who was dethroned before Sanusi was reinstated as emir.
However, a ruling by the State High Court restrained the police, the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigerian Army from evicting Sanusi, from the palace.
Earlier, the State High Court restrained the deposed Aminu Bayero from parading himself as the Emir of Kano in a ruling delivered on Monday, May 27.
The conflicting orders have left many people confused, and in the statement by the NBA, Maikyau called for an urgent scrutinisation of the conduct of the judges involved.
He also disclosed that the NBA will probe the conduct of the counsel involved and take disciplinary actions against them if found to have compromised the ethics of the profession.
Following the uncertainty created by the judgments, Ariwoola summoned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, and the Chief Judge of Kano State High Court over conflicting interim injunctions regarding the Kano Emirate.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.