The Federal High Court, Kano, on Thursday, gave Justice Farouk Lawan and Justice Zuwaira Yusuf 48 hours to resign as Chairmen of the state’s Judicial Commissions of Inquiry.
The Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir-Yusuf, appointed the judges as chairmen of the commission mandated to investigate political violence and cases of missing persons and recovery of misappropriated public assets from May 2015 to May 2023.
Justice Simon Amobeda gave the order while ruling in a suit filed by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje.
Ganduje had in the suit filed by his counsel, Sanusi Musa (SAN), sought an order stopping Kabir-Yusuf from probing his administration.
The National Judicial Council (NJC), Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the Attorney-General of Kano State, Justice Farouk Lawan, and Justice Zuwaira Yusuf were listed as respondents in the suit.
In his ruling, Justice Amobeda said the National Judicial Council (NJC) would stop the payment of the judges’ salaries if they fail to comply with the order after the 48-hour deadline.
He said: “The judges should desist from performing executive functions assigned to them by the Governor of Kano State in courtrooms meant to adjudicate disputes between persons and authorities in Kano State.
“The action by the governor to investigate Ganduje without appealing an earlier court judgment by Justice A. M. Liman, on March 24, amounts to abuse of office and undermining the sanctity of the judiciary.”
Justice Liman had in that judgement held that only the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) could investigate the former Kano State governor.
