From Mustapha Saye, Kaduna
A Kaduna court has ordered former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, alongside five others, to jointly pay N900 million in damages for the unlawful detention of Adara elders in 2019.
Justice Hauwa’u Buhari, who presided over the case on Tuesday, delivered judgment in favor of Awemi Dio Maisamari and eight other elders from Southern Kaduna, who sued for violations of their fundamental human rights.
The court found that El-Rufai, sued in his personal capacity, played a central role in the arbitrary arrest and detention of the applicants following the 2018 killing of the traditional ruler of the Adara community, Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima.
In addition to the N900 million awarded against El-Rufai, the court ordered the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police to pay a combined total of N20 million in damages—comprising N10 million in general damages and N10 million in special damages—to the victims.
The applicants, which included a former commissioner and a retired police officer, were arrested amid unrest following the monarch’s death and detained without formal charges. They were later released after the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice reportedly found no evidence to prosecute them.
Reacting to the verdict, lead counsel for the applicants, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason, described the ruling as a major step toward curbing executive impunity and enforcing accountability.
“The verdict clearly sends a message that those in power, even when shielded temporarily by immunity, must still be held accountable for abuses of office,” she stated.
When contacted, the defence counsel and Kaduna State Solicitor General, J.A. Danazumi, declined to comment on the court’s decision.