Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State is in fresh trouble as the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday 27th October, 2017 ordered him to pay N40m to Audu Maikori, President of Chocolate City Group as compensation for his unlawful arrest and detention between February 17 and 18, 2017 and again March 10 and 13, 2017.
Governor Nasir el-Rufai
Delivering judgement in the fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed by Maikori on May 5, 2017, Justice John Tsoho ordered the four respondents including, Governor Nasir el-Rufai, and the police to pay the damages to the applicant. The judge also directed the respondents to pay the sum of N1,430 to the applicant as the cost of instituting the suit.
Maikori was arrested on allegations of posting “inciting” tweets alleging the killing of some Southern Kaduna students by Fulani herdsmen.
Audu Makori President of Chocolate City Group
The police subsequently obtained an order of arrest from a Magistrates’ court in Kaduna, arrested him in Lagos on February 17, flew him to Abuja where they detained him and released him on bail on February 18.
The judge held that Maikori’s arrest in Lagos was unlawful. The police failed to register the arrest warrant obtained from a magistrates’ court in Kaduna in any court in Lagos where it effected the arrest.