Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent “an urgent complaint to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention over the arbitrary detention and degrading treatment of deposed Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi (II), [Sanusi Lamido Sanusi].”

SERAP said: “The arrest and continued detention of Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is an egregious violation of his human rights. The Nigerian and Kano State authorities have violated the following rights under the Nigerian Constitution, 1999 (as amended) and international law in continuing to detain Emir Sanusi: the right to be free from arbitrary detention; the right to freedom of movement; and the right to due process of law.”

In the complaint dated 11 March, 2020 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “The detention of Emir Sanusi constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of his liberty because it does not have any legal justification. The detention also does not meet minimum international standards of due process.”

SERAP is calling on the Working Group to “initiate a procedure involving the investigation of Emir Sanusi’s case, and urgently send an allegation letter to the Nigerian and Kano State authorities inquiring about the case generally, and specifically about the legal basis for his arrest, detention, and degrading treatment, each of which is in violation of international law.”

SERAP is also urging the Working Group to “issue an opinion declaring that Emir Sanusi’s deprivation of liberty and detention is arbitrary and in violation of Nigeria’s Constitution and obligations under international law. We also urge the Working Group to call for Emir Sanusi’s immediate release.”

According to SERAP, “We urge the Working Group to request the Nigerian and Kano State authorities to investigate and hold accountable all persons responsible for the unlawful arrest, continued detention, and degrading treatment of Emir Sanusi.”

SERAP is also calling on the Working Group “to request the Nigerian and Kano State authorities to award Emir Sanusi adequate compensation for the violations he has endured as a result of his unlawful arrest, arbitrary detention, and degrading treatment.”

SERAP also argued that: “A detention is arbitrary when it is clearly impossible to invoke any legal basis justifying the deprivation of liberty. Article 9(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which confirms the right to liberty and freedom from arbitrary detention, guarantees that no one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.”

The complaint addressed to Mr. José Guevara Bermúdez Chairman/Rapporteur of the Working Group, read in part: “The Human Rights Committee has interpreted this right to mean that procedures for carrying out legally authorized deprivation of liberty should also be established by law and State parties should ensure compliance with their legally prescribed procedures.”

“Pursuant to the mandate of the Working Group, the “Manual of Operations of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council” and the publication “Working with the UN Human Rights Programme, a Handbook for Civil Society”, SERAP, a non-governmental human rights organization, can provide information on a specific human rights case or situation in a particular country, or on a country’s laws and practices with human rights implications.”

“As set forth in this Individual Complaint, the Nigerian and Kano State authorities are arbitrarily depriving the deposed Emir of Kano, Muhammed Sanusi II (Sanusi Lamido Sanusi) of his liberty and continues to arbitrarily detain him. Emir Sanusi is a citizen of Nigeria and has been detained since 9 March, 2020. He continues to be detained without access to the outside world.”

“SERAP therefore argues that the case adequately satisfies the requirements by which to submit an individual complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.”

“SERAP is therefore seeking an opinion from the Working Group finding Emir Sanusi’s continuing detention to be arbitrary and in violation of Nigeria’s Constitution and obligations under international law.”

“Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was the Emir of Kano, Muhammed Sanusi II, Kano State of Nigeria until 9 March, 2020 and is a known critic of the Nigerian and Kano State authorities. He has for many years campaigned for universal access to quality education for Nigerian children and exposed political corruption and human rights violations in Nigeria.”

“By a letter dated March 9, 2020, and signed by the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Usman Alhaji, the Emir of Kano, Muhammed Sanusi II (Sanusi Lamido Sanusi) was informed that he had been summarily deposed from the throne of Emir of Kano by the Kano State Government. He was accused of “total disrespect” to the governor of Kano State, Mr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, an ‘offence’, which is unknown to Nigerian and international law.”

“Following his dethronement without fair hearing and due process, he was arrested and reportedly forcibly removed by Nigerian security agents. He is now being arbitrarily detained in Awe, the headquarters of Awe local government area of Nasarawa State of Nigeria. He was driven by Nigerian security agents for nearly seven hours in the night and arrived at about 2am in Nasarawa State. Emir Sanusi remains in arbitrary detention and without access to the outside world.”

“Accordingly, it is hereby requested that the Working Group consider this Individual Complaint a formal request for an opinion of the Working Group pursuant to Resolution 1997/50 of the Commission on Human Rights, as reiterated by Resolutions 2000/36, 2003/31, and Human Rights Council Resolutions 6/4, 15/18, 20/16, and 24/7.”

“SERAP respectfully requests the Working Group to initiate the procedure involving the investigation of individual cases toward reaching an opinion declaring Emir Sanusi’s detention to be arbitrary and in violation of international law. To this end, SERAP will pursue the regular communications procedure before the Working Group in order to have the ability to provide comments on any response by the Nigerian and Kano State authorities.”

http://serap-nigeria.org/serap-drags-fg-kano-to-un-over-arbitrary-detention-of-sanusi.ngo/

Nothing is getting out of hand. The game here is to make Sanusi gain enough sympathy and then represent him for presidency.

2023 presidential candidate, the only candidate to oppose Atikulated.

Watin be serap self? The only thing I know about them is issuing threat, dragging one organization or the other and at the end, nothing will happen

This mata won't die easy o
Ganduje would soon be singing the names of those in Aso Villa that paid him in Dollars to unseat an Emir.

But seriously, everyone seem to be either defending or fighting for Sanusi.
The foolish clowns in Aso Villa have only made Sanusi more popular by dethroning him.

This is the one millionth time this useless administration will be dragged to UN.... By the time this administration that has noo respect for court order , human life, human rights is done with us maybe we'll stop voting based on tribe and religion

Everything about Nigeria as a country is getting out of hand...
imagine this modern era, trampling on someone's fundamental right without caution

Ok..I hope the FG is seeing all these and if nothing is done then probably it's all planned by the government...but wait there lots of our politicians who are suppose to be subjected to humiliations like this..and I don't know why people think power will forever be in their hands...he who u oppress today with power might turn out to render your powers useless tommorow, nobody holds power forever..ghadaffi is a case study

My interest in this whole marra is just to know what GOD GOODLUCK JONATHAN is serving...Sunusi reminds me of that song by Tecno if you do any how you go see any how
To those slow pokes that feel Sunusi’ was dethroned as a conspiracy towards 2023 MAY GOD GIVE YOU SENSE

They should just drag Buhari to US under Trump, baba go quickly release Sanusi just like he released Sowore and Dasuki... Buhari fears US more than anything, he knows Trump has the secret of how he spent $1 billion Excess Crude Account fund buying a propeller driven toy plane for $45million dollars, price of F35 super jets and carefully shift the delivery to 2022 so that people wont remember


.

They keep draging have they ever won any case?.......make we hear word jare.

Stuuuupiiid SERAP ....


Will you sharrrrap

Ok

These ones are just directionless. How many times have they draged the government to court (UN) for the thousand of innocents wasting away (and most without trial) in Nigeria prison?
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justice Auctioned.

Is there anything like human right, in Nigeria!?

You or someone you know might need this

Wait and see if nothing will happen.

alizma:
Watin be serap self? The only thing I know about them is issuing threat, dragging one organization or the other and at the end, nothing will happen

A life of hardship and personal suffering is unavoidable. A person must endure many humiliations of the mind and body, and expect persons whom they trusted to someday betray them. People inevitably witness the death of their loved ones. We also witness acts of depravity committed by criminals that lurk in every society and rouge acts of scandal committed by government officials in charge of the public welfare. A person must nonetheless resist personal discouragement, sadness, dejection, and despondency. I must reach an accord with pain, suffering, and anguish, or forevermore be tortured by reality while constantly seeking to escape from the inescapable agony of being.

This SARAP sef, they're becoming so useless like MURIC. They just want to be noticed in everything. Is sanusi handicapped or a toddler that can't handle is problem? Joblessness

Can we just leave this Sanusi matter, and tell Bubu to go and have a briefing with Tom Hanks?!

I see some people are criticising SERAP for dragging Buhari to UN.

If not for these people, some of you would have seen the real devil in Buhari but he knows checkers are around.

Buhari, the man with cursed destiny.

Way to go

Deceiving people that needs to be deceived.....spits


Make Una just forget naija, go and be civilized in togo.

Only if it was France that colonized us..

Noted

olureignforever:
Nothing is getting out of hand. The game here is to make Sanusi gain enough sympathy and then represent him for presidency.

2023 presidential candidate, the only candidate to oppose Atikulated.

they are sending him to jail you are talking of 2023, if for a seconds you think Buhari would allow loudmouthed whistle blower like sanusi succeed him then you are jonsing

.

Nice one

His silence about the matter speaks volumes of the Presidents hand/ backing on the dethronement saga

I will personally drag them to court join sef

Buhari is a tyrant

Only fools support this cow government