A serving officer in the Nigerian Army, Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji, has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government at the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Abuja, challenging what he describes as his prolonged and unlawful detention since September 2025.
In the suit, brought under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, Ma’aji is asking the court to order his immediate release and award him N500 million in damages for alleged violations of his fundamental rights.
The case names the Attorney General of the Federation, the Chief of Army Staff, the Nigerian Army, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence as respondents, questioning the legality of detaining him without trial.
Through his lawyer, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), Ma’aji argues that being held for over six months without being charged in court breaches his constitutional rights to personal liberty and human dignity.
Court filings state that he was arrested around September 30, 2025, along with others over allegations of plotting to overthrow the government. Since then, he claims he has been kept at a military facility in Abuja without access to family, legal counsel, or proper medical care.
He further maintains that the authorities have failed to arraign him within a reasonable time, contrary to Sections 34 and 35 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Among his requests, Ma’aji is asking the court to declare his detention unconstitutional and order his immediate release. Alternatively, he wants the court to compel the authorities to charge him before a competent court within seven days.
He is also seeking N500 million as compensation for the alleged rights violations during his detention.
According to an affidavit filed by a litigation officer in his lawyer’s chambers, Ma’aji has been held incommunicado since his arrest, despite claims that investigations into the matter have been concluded.
No date has yet been set for the hearing of the case.
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