A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has ordered former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and five others to pay a total of N900 million in damages for the unlawful arrest and detention of elders from the Adara community in 2019.
Justice Hauwa’u Buhari, delivering the landmark judgment on Tuesday, ruled in favor of a suit filed by Awemi Dio Maisamari and eight other Southern Kaduna elders, declaring their arrest and detention a gross violation of their fundamental human rights.
The court held El-Rufai personally liable for ordering the arrests, making him solely responsible for the N900 million compensation awarded to the applicants. The case was filed after El-Rufai left office and was sued in his personal capacity as the first respondent.
In addition to the N900 million damages, the court awarded N10 million in general damages and another N10 million in special damages against the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police.
The arrests occurred in the aftermath of the killing of Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima, the paramount ruler of the Adara people, in 2019. El-Rufai had accused the elders of being threats to security in the Kajuru area and allegedly ordered their detention. Among those arrested were prominent figures, including former commissioner Bawa Magaji and a retired police commissioner. They were later released after the Attorney General found no legal basis for their continued incarceration.
Reacting to the judgment, the applicants’ lead counsel, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason, hailed the ruling as a milestone in the fight against executive overreach and impunity.
“This judgment is a watershed moment in holding public officials accountable,” Ballason stated. “Immunity in office does not give anyone a license for lawlessness.”
Efforts to obtain a response from the respondents’ legal team were unsuccessful, as J.A. Danazumi, Solicitor General and counsel to the respondents, declined to comment on the ruling.
The judgment has sparked widespread attention, with legal analysts calling it a strong message to public officials that violations of human rights will not go unpunished, regardless of status or former office.
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