A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has ordered former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, alongside five other respondents, to pay a total of N900 million in damages for the illegal detention of Southern Kaduna elders from the Adara community in 2019.
Delivering the judgment on Tuesday, Justice Hauwa’u Buhari declared the arrest and prolonged detention of the elders as unconstitutional and a gross violation of their fundamental human rights.
The case was brought by Mr. Awemi Dio Maisamari and eight other Adara elders who were detained without charge following the assassination of their traditional ruler, Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima.
At the time, El-Rufai accused the elders of threatening security in Kajuru Local Government Area and allegedly directed their arrest.
The court held El-Rufai personally accountable for the arbitrary detention, awarding N900 million against him in his personal capacity as the first respondent.
It noted that although he had left office, his actions while in office could not go unchecked in a democratic society governed by law.
In addition to El-Rufai’s liability, the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police were ordered to pay a combined N20 million in both general and special damages.
Speaking after the ruling, the applicants’ legal representative, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason, hailed the court’s decision as a milestone in the fight against impunity.
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“This ruling is a watershed moment. It confirms that public office is not a shield for abuse of power. The days of unchecked executive actions are over,” Ballason said.
The judgment also underscores the principle that state actors cannot hide behind official immunity to violate constitutional rights.
Among the elders detained in 2019 were a former commissioner, Bawa Magaji, and a retired police commissioner.
They were eventually released after the Attorney General’s office found no grounds to sustain the accusations against them.
Efforts to obtain comments from J.A. Danazumi, Solicitor General and counsel for the respondents, were unsuccessful as he declined to respond to inquiries.
The judgment is seen as a significant precedent in holding past political leaders accountable for human rights violations committed under the guise of state security.
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