A Federal High Court in Kaduna has directed former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and five others to pay N900 million in compensation for the unlawful detention of Adara elders in 2019, ruling that their fundamental human rights were breached.
Justice Hauwa’u Buhari delivered the judgment on Tuesday in a case brought forward by Awemi Dio Maisamari and eight other elders from Southern Kaduna’s Adara community.
The court found that El-Rufai was directly responsible for the arbitrary arrest of the applicants and held him personally accountable for the damages.
Additionally, the court awarded N10 million each in general and special damages against the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police for their roles in the violation.
Legal representative for the applicants, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason, described the ruling as a significant victory against misuse of public office.
“This ruling is a landmark in the fight for accountability and against the abuse of authority,” Ballason said. “Immunity while in office is not a licence for impunity.”
The legal action, filed after El-Rufai left office, named him as the lead respondent in his individual capacity. The plaintiffs were detained in 2019 following the killing of Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima, the traditional leader of the Adara people.
El-Rufai allegedly ordered the arrests, claiming the elders posed a security threat to Kajuru at the time.
Among those held were former commissioner Bawa Magaji and an ex-police commissioner. All were later released after the Attorney General’s office found no substantial evidence linking them to the incident.
Efforts to get a response from the defence team were unsuccessful, as Solicitor General J.A. Danazumi, who represented the respondents in court, declined to comment.