A Federal High Court in Kaduna has ordered former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, along with five others, to pay N900 million in damages for the unlawful detention of Adara community elders in 2019.
Justice Hauwa’u Buhari delivered the ruling on Tuesday in a case brought by Awemi Dio Maisamari and eight other Adara elders from Southern Kaduna.
The court found that El-Rufai personally directed the arbitrary arrests and therefore bears responsibility for the compensation.
In addition to the N900 million awarded against El-Rufai and his co-defendants, the court also imposed N10 million in general damages and another N10 million in special damages on the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police.
Reacting to the verdict, the applicants’ lawyer, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason, praised the judgment as a significant stand against abuse of authority.
“This judgment is a landmark in holding power to account. Immunity does not legitimize executive lawlessness,” she stated.
The suit, filed after El-Rufai left office, listed him as the first respondent in a personal capacity.
The plaintiffs had been detained in 2019 following the assassination of Adara monarch Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima.
El-Rufai reportedly labeled them as security threats and ordered their arrest.
Among those detained were former commissioner Bawa Magaji and a former police commissioner.
They were later released after the Attorney General found no evidence to support the charges.
Solicitor General and counsel for the respondents, J.A. Danazumi, declined to comment on the court’s decision.
