Barely 24 hours after an Abuja-based Federal High Court ordered the Kano State Government to apologise and pay the sum of N10 million to the deposed Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, for violating his fundamental human rights, his counsel, Nureni Jimoh, who secured the judgment, was on Wednesday locked up inside his office in Kano.
When contacted on phone to comment on the development on Wednesday, Jimoh said he was locked up and could not come out from his office, saying he had notified the Director of State Security.
A source, who preferred anonymity, on Wednesday morning, said the backlash of the All Progressives Congress judgment against Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and the Sanusi judgment had begun.
“Nureni Jimoh, who is the lead counsel in the APC case and part of the legal team for Emir Sanusi, has been attacked by Kano State Government,” the source said.
Furthermore, the source disclosed that, “a team of policemen and some staff of the Ministry of Land stormed the counsel’s office and locked him inside with a padlock.”
“For now, the counsel and his staff cannot go in and out of the office, as the two access gates to his office have been padlocked and sealed.”
He, however, stated that the counsel remained mute and was preparing to get out of office by scaling the fence so as to leave the state for fear of further attack.
However, a source who declined his name on print, said Mr Jimoh might have been owing his tenement rate, which he had not paid and the authorities might have been there to effect the order of sealing off the office for non-payment of the purported amount he was owing
But another source queried, “Why should that action be within 24 hours after the judgment?”
As of the time of filing this report, Jimoh had remained silent over why he was locked up inside his office, on whether it was due to non-payment of alleged tenement rate or it had anything to do with an Abuja Federal High court judgment he secured in favour of ex- Emir Sanusi.
Also, efforts to contact the state police command and the Ministry of Land were unsuccessful, as of the time of filing this report
When our reporter visited Jimoh’s office, located at No. 16, Murtala Muhammad Way, the seal placed on the entrance to the main building had been removed.
An official of the Ministry of Land told newsmen that, “the Ministry sealed the building based on the directive from the Permanent Secretary.”
The official further disclosed that the Permanent Secretary directed them to remove the seal and unlock the premises.
However, many occupants of the office said the people who came to seal off the main building came along with fully armed security operatives.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, DSP Haruna Kiyawa, said, “From investigations and interviews conducted with some of the occupants of the office, they said no police were among those that came to seal off the office.”
He further disclosed that the investigation was ongoing and as soon as the police concluded their investigations, newsmen would be briefed.
THE PUNCH
