₦900 Million Bombshell! Court Slams El-Rufai, Others For Gross Rights Abuse

A Federal High Court in Kaduna has ordered former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and five others to pay ₦900 million in damages for the unlawful detention of Adara community elders in 2019.

Justice Hauwa’u Buhari delivered the judgment on Tuesday in a case brought by Awemi Dio Maisamari and eight other Adara elders from Southern Kaduna.

The court found El-Rufai personally responsible for orchestrating the arbitrary arrest and detention of the elders, holding him accountable for the full compensation.

Additionally, the court awarded ₦10 million in general damages and another ₦10 million in special damages against the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police.

Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the applicants, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason, hailed it as a milestone in the fight against abuse of power. She called it a landmark verdict that affirms accountability applies even to those temporarily protected by immunity.

“This judgment is a turning point in the fight against executive lawlessness. Immunity is not a license for impunity,” Ballason stated.

The lawsuit, filed after El-Rufai left office, listed him as the first respondent in his personal capacity.

The plaintiffs were detained in 2019 after the murder of Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima, the traditional ruler of the Adara people. At the time, El-Rufai allegedly ordered their arrest, accusing them of posing a security threat in Kajuru. Among those detained were former commissioner Bawa Magaji and an ex-police commissioner.

They were eventually released after the Attorney General found no evidence to support the allegations against them.