A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has approved the move by the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi over an alleged N2.2 billion land scam.
This is coming three months after he was deposed as Emir of Kano.
It would be recalled that in March, reports surfaced that Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was to face fresh investigation by the State’s anti-graft agency over the alleged sale of landed properties belonging to the Kano Emirate Council.
Sanusi who was a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, was accused of authorizing the ‘illegal sale’ of landed properties at Darmanawa, Hotoro and Bubbugaje.
Following the anti-graft agency’s accusation, Sanusi approached the Court to get a restraining order against the Commission from inviting and investigating him on the matter pending the hearing and determination of the originating summons.
However, on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, Justice Lewis Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Kano, dismissed Sanusi’s fundamental human right suit, saying that the anti-graft commission and its chairman have the jurisdiction and powers to probe him on the matter.
The anti-graft commission said the dethroned Emir ‘illegally’ sold land with a Right of Occupancy Number: CON-RES-2016-503 to Family Home Fund Limited. They added that the transactions were done by the trio of Shehu Dankadai (Sarkin Shanu), Sarki Ibrahim (Makanan Kano) and Mustapha Yahaya (Dan Isan Lapai).
Prior to Sanusi being dethroned, he was at loggerhead with the Governor of the State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The emirate council under Sanusi was investigated for corruption in 2017, however, the investigation was later called off by the state legislature after prominent Nigerians intervened.
After Ganduje signed into law the creation of four new emirates, Sanusi’s traditional domain as emir reduced.
The new law is such that an Emir of Kano will only preside over 10 local government areas out of the 44 in the state.
The state’s legislators in March 2020, launched a new investigation on Sanusi for violation of traditional practices.
This new investigation led to Sanusi being dethroned on March 9, 2020, and banished to Nasarawa State by the Kano State Government.
It was alleged that Sanusi was disrespectful to lawful instructions from the authorities and also refused to attend official programmes and meetings organised by the government.
His dethronement attracted both local and international attention.