By Ebenezer Mabinuola
In a landmark judgment on Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Kaduna found former Governor Nasir El-Rufai personally liable for the unlawful detention of nine Adara community elders in 2019, ordering him to pay ₦900 million in damages.
Justice Hauwa’u Buhari ruled that the elders’ detention following the assassination of Adara monarch Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima constituted “a clear abuse of state power.” The court rejected government arguments over jurisdiction, affirming the case as a fundamental rights violation.
El-Rufai had labeled the elders – among them a retired police commissioner and community leaders – as threats, allegedly ordering their arrest during a volatile town hall meeting in Kajuru. They were held for months without charge before being quietly released.
In addition to El-Rufai’s penalty, ₦10 million each was awarded against the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police for executing the detentions.
Human rights lawyer Gloria Mabeiam Ballason, who led the suit, called it a “watershed moment,” asserting that “power does not equate to impunity.”
This marks the second major rights judgment against El-Rufai, following a 2017 court order to compensate Audu Maikori for wrongful arrest.
Analysts say the ruling could pave the way for deeper scrutiny of El-Rufai’s tenure – particularly over his controversial approach to Southern Kaduna’s crises. For the Adara community, it’s a long-awaited acknowledgment. For Nigerian democracy, it may be a turning point.
