Court Halts Arrest Of APC Ward Officers Behind Ganduje’s Suspension

Abdullahi Ganduje

A Kano High Court has restrained the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Zone 1 Kano; and Commissioner of Police Kano,  from inviting, detaining and harassing the All Progressives Congress (APC) ward officers of Dawakin-Tofa Local Government responsible for the purported suspension of the National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.

In a consolidated order granted by Justice Yusuf Ubale Muhammad on Thursday, the court also restricted any attempt by the APC National Working Committee (NWC), State Council of the party, and APC acting National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, from using security operatives to arrest or detain the ward executives, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The ex parte motion jointly filed by Jafar Adamu and 10 others and Haladu Gwanjo and Laminu Sani Barguma led factional ward officers, through their counsel, Shamsu Ubale Jibrin, also sought the protection of their fundamental human rights as guaranteed by the constitution.

In the consolidated motion ex parte dated 29th April 2024, the two affidavits by the applicant (Jafar Adamu) suit no. K/M759/2024, and suit no. K/M758/2024, were sworn by applicants Haladu Gwanjo and Laminu Sani Barguma.

The applicants also challenged the IGP, AIG Zone 1 Kano, Commissioner of Police Kano, APC, APC NWC, Kano APC State Council, and Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

The judge ruled, “And after hearing Shamsu Ubale Jibrin Esq. of counsel for the two sets of applicants today 2nd of May 2024, it is hereby ordered as follows.

“An interim order of injunction is hereby granted restraining the respondents in the two consolidated suits, their officers, agents, privies, or any other officer serving under them from inviting, arresting, harassing, or detaining the applicants in respect of the subject matter of the suit, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed.

“It is further ordered that the interim order for the motion on notice and all other processes in these suits shall be served on all the respondents, timeously and before the next adjourned date. The case adjourned to 5th June 2024, for hearing of the motion on notice.”

The two factions of the Ganduje ward had suspended the membership of their kinsman and national chairman of their party, Ganduje, for an alleged involvement in the misappropriation of public funds and other criminal issues, during his tenure as governor of Kano.

Although the factional ward officers had dragged APC, APC NWC, Kano SWC, and Ganduje before Justice Usman Na’abba of the state high court to affirm the suspension of Ganduje from the party, it was gathered that security operatives had launched a manhunt to arrest the ward officers.

The manhunt came after the state Chairman of the party, Prince Abdullahi Abbas, directed the security agencies including the police and men of the Department of State Security (DSS) to arrest and detain them.