The lingering controversy over the 2020 succession to the Zazzau Emirate throne has taken a legal dimension as members of the royal family have dragged the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, before the Kaduna State High Court over remarks he made in a recent interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI).

The son of the late Iyan Zazzau, Dr. Nasiru Bashari Aminu, has filed a defamation suit against the Emir, alleging that he falsely suggested in the interview that confidential details of the succession process were leaked to his late father by the then-Wazirin Zazzau, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu.

The family described the remarks as false, defamatory, and injurious to the dignity and memory of the late prince.

Court documents obtained in Kaduna indicate that the matter has been fixed for hearing on November 4, 2025, at the Zaria Judicial Division of the High Court of Kaduna State.

The Emir now faces two separate defamation suits from the interview. In addition to Dr. Nasiru’s case, former Wazirin Zazzau, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu, has also sued, challenging the Emir’s description of him as “arrogant” and for insinuating that he leaked sensitive information during the succession process.

The lawsuits, instituted by two of the emirate’s most senior figures and their families, underscore the weight of the Emir’s comments, which the plaintiffs argued inflicted reputational damage when broadcast internationally.

For the family of the late Iya Bashari Aminu, the issue is particularly sensitive. Despite securing the highest number of votes from the kingmakers during the 2020 succession, he was not selected.

They stressed that he never maligned the institution, instead urging loyalty to the newly installed Emir while pursuing legal redress in court. To now portray him as complicit in impropriety, the family said, was an insult too grave to overlook.

The hearing has been slated for November 4.