The High Court sitting in Yola the Adamawa State capital on Tuesday ordered the Nigerian Police to release a middle-aged man, Hammadu Musa, who was illegally detained for 5 years without trial.
The court presided by Justice Benjamin Manji Lawan said the detention of Musa, from 2019 till date, by the Police Command was illegal and unconstitutional.
He ordered the Police Command to pay the sum of N5 million as compensation to the applicant and release him immediately without any condition.
He held that the detention of the applicant for over 5 years without trial and without being arraigned before the court of competent jurisdiction and with no likelihood of being tried is a gross violation of the applicant’s fundamental human right to fair hearing and liberty as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, particularly section 36 (4) and (5) and section 35 (1).
The applicant who was arrested in 2019 by the vigilante in Song Local Government Area of the state for the alleged kidnapping was later handed over to the police before his transfer to police headquarters.
He would later be detained at the Jimeta correctional centre for over 5 years without being told who he allegedly kidnapped or any other offence he committed whatsoever.
In his reaction to the judgement, Counsel to the applicant, Yakubu Hamadu Esq, appreciated the court’s sound judgement and described his detention without offence as violating fundamental human rights.
