The Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has awarded N900 million in damages against former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and five others over the unlawful arrest and detention of Adara community elders in 2019.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Hauwa’u Buhari ruled in favour of Mr Awemi Dio Maisamari and eight other Southern Kaduna Adara elders, who were detained following the killing of their traditional ruler, Dr Raphael Maiwada Galadima.
The court dismissed preliminary objections raised by the respondents, who argued that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction and that the case was based on tort rather than fundamental human rights violations. Justice Buhari found no merit in their arguments and proceeded to deliver a substantive ruling.
El-Rufai, who was sued in his personal capacity, was found liable for ordering the arrests.
Counsel to the applicants, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason Esq., who led a legal team including S. A. Alkali Esq. and J. N. Buzun Esq., described the ruling as a landmark victory against abuse of executive power.
“This judgment is a watershed moment in the fight against executive lawlessness and human rights violations. It reaffirms that public office holders can be held accountable even after leaving office,” Ballason said.
The Adara leaders were arrested during a town hall meeting convened by El-Rufai in 2019, shortly after the abduction and murder of Dr Galadima.
At the meeting, El-Rufai reportedly instructed security operatives to arrest Maisamari, then president of the Adara Development Association, labelling him a “security threat” in Kajuru.
The elders, including a former commissioner and a retired police officer, were detained for several months before being released on the advice of the attorney general, who found no legal justification for their continued incarceration.
Legal representatives for the respondents declined to comment following the ruling.
