The federal high court sitting in Kano has ordered the state government to pay N10 million damages to Aminu Ado Bayero, deposed Emir of Kano, over the violation of his fundamental rights.
The presiding judge, Simon Amobeda, gave this order on Friday whilst delivering judgment in a litigation marked FHC/CS/190/2024, filed by Ado Bayero.
Amobeda also proscribed security agents “from arresting, detaining, harassing the applicant.”
The judge held that “the act of the governor of Kano state in directing the Police to arrest the Applicant without any lawful justification is a threatened breach of the fundamental right to Liberty of the applicant guaranteed under Section 35(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered)”.
“That, the act of the Governor of Kano State in directing the police to arrest the applicant without any lawful justification, which directive has forced the Applicant into house arrest, preventing him from going freely about his lawful business, constitutes a flagrant violation of his fundamental right to freedom of movement as guaranteed under Section 41(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).”
Therefore, the judge ruled that “the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents (attorney-general of Kano, Nigeria police force, IGP and Kano commissioner of police) are either by themselves, their agents, servants, privies, or any other person or authority forthwith restrained from arresting, detaining, threatening, intimidating, harassing the applicant or further interfering with the applicant’s fundamental rights”.
“That the 2nd respondent (attorney-general) and the government of Kano state shall pay to the applicant the sum of N10,000,000.00 only for the breach and likely breach of the applicant’s fundamental rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).”