A federal high court in Kano has ordered the Kano state government to pay N10 million as damages to the deposed Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, over breach of his fundamental rights.
The presiding judge, Simon Amobeda, made the order on Friday while delivering judgment in a suit marked FHC/CS/190/2024, filed by Ado Bayero.
The judge also restrained security operatives “from arresting, detaining, harassing the applicant.”
Amobeda 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)”.
The judge further stated 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).”
Consequently, Amobeda 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).”