The Supreme Court of Nigeria has ordered a lawyer, S.M. Danyaro, to pay N50 million and banned him from appearing in any court until he follows its orders. This decision came after the court described his application as "vexatious, irresponsible, abusive and unprofessional."
The Certified True Copy of the ruling seen by PREMIUM TIMES shows that the court made this decision on 22 June in Appeal No. SC.266/2017.
Justice Jamilu Tukur delivered the main ruling, and Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme strongly criticized Mr Danyaro’s actions, agreeing with the penalties given in the lead ruling.
The court stated that the motion, which was meant to be a request for review, was not only improper but also a serious abuse of the judicial process. It attempted to reopen matters that the Supreme Court had already settled.
The Supreme Court has recently taken a tougher stance against applications it sees as pointless or aimed at relitigating closed cases. The court has often warned that its decisions are final and cannot be reopened through disguised filings.
In her comments, Mrs Nwosu-Iheme said that the application did not meet acceptable legal standards. She called it one of the most "thoughtless and irresponsible applications" ever presented to the court.
She argued that it showed professional misconduct and a lack of respect for basic legal principles regarding final decisions of the Supreme Court.
"This Application is one of the most thoughtless and irresponsible Applications ever brought before this Court. It is condemnable as it amounts to Professional Misconduct on the part of counsel for the Applicant. It is bereft of Common Sense, it is dismissed in its entirety," the judge said.
Mrs Nwosu-Iheme also emphasized that Supreme Court judgments are final and binding, stating that Mr Danyaro's filing attempted to relitigate matters already decided.
The court dismissed the application and upheld its previous judgment delivered on 4 June 2025 in the same appeal.
As a result, the Supreme Court ordered Mr Danyaro to pay N50 million to the respondents within 90 days. The court described the filing as a deliberate attempt to cause annoyance and waste judicial time.
The court also instructed him to file a certificate of compliance according to Order 12 Rules 4(d), 6 and 7 of the Supreme Court Rules.
Additionally, the court ruled that the lawyer would not have the right to speak in any court in Nigeria until he fully complies with its orders.
Background
The case arose from a long-running legal dispute over the Emir of Gwandu in Kebbi State.
On 4 June 2025, the Supreme Court nullified a Kebbi State High Court decision that had reinstated Al-Mustapha Jokolo as the 19th Emir of Gwandu.
In a split decision of three to two, the Supreme Court found that Mr Jokolo did not follow Section 5(4) of the Kebbi State Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Law. This section requires anyone with a complaint to first inform the governor before going to court.
Delivering the lead judgment in the appeal, Emmanuel Agim stated that while people have the right to seek justice in chieftaincy matters, they must first follow the legal procedures.
The court discovered that Mr Jokolo did not give the required notice to the Governor of Kebbi State before filing his case, making it invalid.
"This suit was filed prematurely without first presenting a complaint to the governor as stipulated by law," Mr Agim ruled.
"The trial court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter, and its decision is therefore null and void."
The Supreme Court subsequently set aside the judgments of both the High Court and the Court of Appeal, which had earlier ordered Mr Jokolo’s reinstatement. The court held that failing to use the dispute-resolution steps required by law invalidated the entire process.
This was the judgment that Mr Danyaro later tried to challenge with the application for review, which the court just dismissed.
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