Lamido Sanusi’s lawyer arrested, detained 24hrs after court ruling

The Counsel to Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Nureni Jimoh, who secured the former Emir’s recent vindication judgment, has been arrested and locked up inside his office in Kano, TopNaija reports.

This is coming 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 the fundamental human rights of the former Emir

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 notified the Director of State Security.

According to a source, who preferred anonymity, on Wednesday morning, said the backlash of the APC judgment against Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and the Sanusi judgment has begun.

“Nureini 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 is preparing to get out of office by scaling the fence & to leave the State for fear of further attack.

However, a source who declined his name on print, said Jimoh may have been owing tenement, which he has not paid and the authority may have been there to effect the order of sealing the office for non-payment of the purported amount he is owing

But another source queried, “why should that action be within 24 hours after the judgment?”

As at the time of filing this report, Jimoh has remained silent over why he was locked up inside his office, on whether it was due to non-payment of alleged tenement rate or have 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 at the time of filing this report

When our reporter visited Mr Nureni Jimoh’s office, located at No. 16, Murtala Muhammad Way, the seal placed on the entrance to the main building had been removed.

According to a staff of the Ministry of Land, who told newsmen that, “the Ministry sealed the building, based on the directive from the Permanent Secretary.”

The staff further disclosed that the Permanent Secretary directed them to remove the seal and unlock the premises.

However, many occupiers of the office said people who came to seal up the main building came along with security operatives, who were armed.

When contacted, the Police Public Relation Officer of the Command, DSP Haruna Kiyawa, said, “From investigation and interview conducted with some of the occupiers of the office, they said no police were among those that came to seal up the office.”

He further disclosed that the investigation is ongoing and as soon as the Police concludes, newsmen would be briefed.

The question on the lips of some of the occupiers of the building is, “they are not the owners of the building and they were paying their rent, as at when due, while others also disclosed that no warrant of arrest was served to anybody nor proper notice was given from the Ministry of Land to effect any order.”

From information gathered from occupiers of the office, Jimoh is said to have left town, shortly after the building was unsealed.