The Kaduna State High Court sitting in Dogarawa, Zaria, has delivered a significant ruling in the ongoing defamation suit involv...
The Kaduna State High Court sitting in Dogarawa, Zaria, has delivered a significant ruling in the ongoing defamation suit involving the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, and a former Wazirin Zazzau, Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammad Aminu, barring the claimant from being heard due to non-compliance with a court order.
At the resumed sitting on Wednesday, the presiding judge, Justice Yakubu Badamasi, held that the claimant could not be granted the right of audience, having failed to comply with an earlier directive of the court.
The court had previously imposed a fine of ₦200,000 on the claimant for lack of diligent prosecution, citing the inconvenience caused to defence counsel who travelled from Lagos, Abuja, and Kaduna.
Despite the order, the claimant failed to settle the fine, prompting the court to invoke the legal principle that a party in disobedience of a subsisting court order cannot be heard until such contempt is purged.
Consequently, the court adjourned the matter to June 16, 2026, for compliance.
In a related development, another defamation suit filed by Nasiru Bashari Aminu against the Emir also suffered a procedural setback.
During proceedings, the claimant’s counsel was found to have improperly filed a Pre-Trial Conference Sheet contrary to established court procedures.
The court noted that under the rules, Form 16 (Notice of Pre-Trial Conference) must be issued by the court registrar and accompanied by Form 17 a requirement not complied with in this instance.
Counsel to the Emir, led by Barrister Morris Odey, alongside A. U. Bamalli and M. K. Jonathan, strongly challenged the irregularity, describing it as a fundamental breach of due process.
Justice Badamasi subsequently adjourned the matter to June 16, 2026, for ruling.
The suit was filed by Dr. Nasiru Bashari Aminu, who is challenging the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, over alleged defamatory remarks made against his father during an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI).
In the interview, the Emir spoke about the challenges he faced during the Zazzau Emirate selection process, leading to his eventual emergence as Emir.
It would be recalled that the Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna on March 19, 2025, dismissed a suit seeking the removal of the 19th Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli.
The dispute arose when a former Zazzau Emirate kingmaker, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed Aminu, challenged the Emir’s appointment by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in October 2020.
The appellate court ruled that the suit was statute-barred, meaning it was filed outside the legally permitted timeframe, and rejected arguments seeking exemption from the limitation period.
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