A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has ruled against the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, ordering him and five others to pay N900 million as compensation for the illegal detention of nine elders from the Adara community in Southern Kaduna.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Hauwa’u Buhari on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, followed a suit filed by Awemi Dio Maisamari, alongside eight other Adara elders. The case was instituted in response to their detention in 2019, shortly after the murder of their traditional ruler, Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima.
The presiding judge ruled that the detention of the elders was unlawful and awarded a total sum of N900 million in damages to the claimants. According to the court’s decision, each of the Nigerian Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, are also to pay N10 million apiece as part of the compensation package.
During the proceedings, El-Rufai and his co-defendants had raised a preliminary objection, arguing that the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain what they considered a tort matter unrelated to fundamental human rights. However, Justice Buhari rejected this argument, ruling that the case indeed involved violations of the elders’ fundamental rights and therefore fell within the court’s purview.
As reported by Vanguard, the former governor was specifically found guilty of personally issuing the arrest order against the elders. The court’s judgment, delivered in El-Rufai’s official capacity, mandates significant financial compensation for the claimants over the abuses they suffered.
Reacting to the outcome, Gloria Mabeiam Ballason Esq., the lead counsel representing the Adara elders, hailed the court’s decision as a significant milestone in the battle against rights abuses by those in authority. She remarked that the judgment stands as a stern reminder to public officers that accountability does not end with their tenure.
Ballason stated that the legal action was only initiated after El-Rufai’s term as governor concluded, clarifying that this was why “he was sued in his personal capacity.”
The elders’ arrest took place during a town hall meeting convened by El-Rufai in the aftermath of the abduction and assassination of Dr. Galadima, the Adara monarch. It was reported that Maisamari, who was the president of the Adara Development Association at the time, was branded a security threat by the former governor and detained alongside eight others.
Among those arrested were a retired police commissioner and a former Kaduna State commissioner. The detainees reportedly spent several months in custody before being released upon the advice of the Attorney General, who determined that there was no credible evidence to justify their continued imprisonment.
Ballason further described the ruling as a victory against “executive lawlessness and the abuse of fundamental human rights”, expressing hope that it would set a precedent for holding leaders accountable for their actions while in office.
