A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has ordered former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to pay N900 million in damages for violating the fundamental human rights of nine Adara elders who were unlawfully detained in 2019.
The judgment, delivered on Tuesday by Justice Hauwa’u Buhari, followed a suit filed by Awemi Dio Maisamari and eight other elders from Southern Kaduna’s Adara community. The court found that El-Rufai personally ordered the arrest and detention of the elders, making him directly responsible.
The suit was filed after El-Rufai left office, allowing the plaintiffs to hold him accountable in his personal capacity. The court ruled that the arrest was arbitrary and unlawful, and that the governor overstepped his authority.
In addition to the N900 million awarded against El-Rufai, the court also ordered the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police to jointly pay N10 million in general damages and another N10 million in special damages.
The elders were arrested following the killing of Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima, the paramount ruler of the Adara people, in 2019. At the time, El-Rufai labeled them as threats to peace in Kajuru and ordered their detention. Among those arrested were former government officials, including a one-time commissioner and a former police commissioner.
They were eventually released after the Attorney General found no evidence linking them to the crime.
Reacting to the ruling, counsel to the applicants, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason, praised the judgment as a major step towards justice. “This judgment marks a watershed against abuse of power and accountability for abuse, whether the occupiers of the office are temporarily shielded by immunity or not,” she said.
Ballason added that public office does not give room for executive lawlessness.
Counsel to the respondents, J.A. Danazumi, who also serves as the Solicitor General of Kaduna State, declined to comment on the judgment when contacted.
The ruling is seen as a strong warning to public officials that holding office does not excuse the violation of citizens’ rights.
