The Court of Appeal in Abuja, ordered a fresh hearing in the legal dispute over the Kano Emirate involving Ado Bayero.
A three-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Mustapha declared the judgment delivered by the lower court on July 15 null and void, citing breaches of the appellant’s rights to a fair hearing.
The appellate court held that Bayero was denied a fair hearing due to procedural lapses by the Kano High Court, which conducted proceedings against him without serving a hearing notice to allow him to present his case.
Justice Mustapha emphasized that all courts must ensure justice by granting equal opportunities to all parties.
He described the actions of the Kano High Court as a “travesty of justice,” given that Bayero was not notified or given adequate access to counsel after his lawyer withdrew from the case during proceedings on July 4, 2024.
The court continued the matter without proper notification, which was deemed a nullity of the entire proceedings.
The Court of Appeal upheld Bayero’s appeal on the issue of a fair hearing, stating that this issue superseded all other matters raised in the case.
“Having resolved the issue of fair hearing, there is no need to delve into other issues for determination,” the court ruled.
The appellate court ordered that the case be remitted to the Chief Judge of the Kano State High Court for reassignment to another judge for an expeditious hearing.
However, it did not award costs against the respondents in the appeal filed by Bayero.
