Community members sue Fintiri over new emirate creation
The controversy surrounding the creation of the Fufore Emirate in Adamawa State and the appointment of Alhaji Sani Ribadu as Emir by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has taken a legal turn, as a group seeks a court ruling to declare the emirate illegal and dissolve it.
In suit No: HC/ADST/14/2025, Alhaji Musa Halilu Ahmed and two other plaintiffs are urging the court to annul the emirate and remove the newly appointed emir.
In their submission, filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, M.M. Nuruddeen, the plaintiffs argue that Governor Fintiri violated Section 5(1) of the Adamawa State Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Law, 2024 by creating the Fufore Emirate without consulting the “persons concerned,” as mandated by the law.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to nullify Adamawa State Legal Notice No. 56 of 2024, which established the Fufore Emirate, citing a violation of Section 5(1) of the Adamawa State Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Law, 2024, among others.
Additionally, the plaintiffs are seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the Adamawa State Government and Governor Fintiri from swearing in the 4th defendant as Emir of Fufore.
They also want an order preventing the 4th defendant from presenting himself for oath-taking or parading himself as Emir.
Furthermore, they seek an injunction barring the governor and the Commissioner of Justice from enacting any law that would fragment the Adamawa Emirate, arguing that such actions disregard the emirate’s shared history, ancestry, customs, and culture.
At the hearing on Tuesday, Justice Musa Usman of the Adamawa State High Court presided over the case.
Counsel for the plaintiffs, Nuruddeen, informed the court that he was caught off guard by a legal application from the defendants’ counsel and requested additional time to review and respond.
Counsel for the first and second defendants, Leonard Zadon, did not oppose the oral application. Consequently, the court adjourned the case to April 3 for hearing.
Last month, Governor Fintiri officially coronated Alhaji Sani Ribadu as the first Emir of the newly established Fufore Emirate, which was previously under the Adamawa Emirate, led by Alhaji Mustapha Barkindo, the Lamido of Adamawa.
During the coronation, Governor Fintiri defended the creation of the new emirate and other chiefdoms, stating that they were established to enhance conflict resolution, arbitration, and intelligence gathering for improved security and peace in the state.
