Prof. Zainab Abiola Wins Fundamental Rights Case Over Unlawful Detention and Violation of Dignity
In a landmark judgment, the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gudu, Abuja, has directed the Inspector General of Police to pay N50 million in damages to Prof. Zainab Abiola, the wife of late Chief M. K. O Abiola. The court, presided over by Justice Modupe Osho-Adebiyi, ruled in favor of Prof. Abiola, citing the violation of her fundamental rights.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Osho-Adebiyi, also mandated the Inspector General of Police to issue a public apology to Prof. Abiola in two national newspapers.
Prof. Abiola had filed a fundamental human rights enforcement suit against the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector Teju Moses, and Engineer Ibrahim (son of former IGP Usman Alkali Baba). The suit alleged that police officers invaded her Abuja residence in 2022, arresting her while she was in a nightgown and subsequently detaining and torturing her for three days without trial.
In the certified true copy of the judgment, Justice Osho-Adebiyi declared that the detention of Prof. Abiola without arraignment in a court of competent jurisdiction violated her right to personal liberty under Section 35 of the constitution. The court further ruled that her arrest while in a nightgown, without the opportunity to dress decently, infringed upon her right to personal dignity.
The judgment read, “The sum of N50,000,000.00 only is awarded to the applicant as compensation against the first, second, and fourth respondents jointly.”
Furthermore, the court ordered the respondents to tender a public apology to Prof. Abiola in two national daily newspapers, in accordance with the provisions of Section 35 (6) I of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
The case arose from accusations by the police that Prof. Abiola had assaulted a female police officer, Inspector Teju Moses, and her domestic staff at her residence in the Garki area of the FCT on September 20, 2022. The court’s ruling brings a resolution to the legal battle, vindicating Prof. Zainab Abiola’s claims of unlawful detention and violation of her rights.