A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigerian Police Force to pay an N15 million fine to seven suspected members of Boko Haram over their unlawful detention for three years without trial.
The suspects who were said to have been arrested inside a Maiduguri market were allegedly dumped at the detention facility of the Special Anti-Robbery in Abuja.
The applicants are Ajiri Dungus, Gudja Giddah, Adam Mohammed, Wardi Dungus, Fanami Mustapha, Mohammed Abba and Makinka Dungus.
The court registrar was seen preparing a warrant for their release on Wednesday after the verdict.
Justice M. O. Olajuwon, in a judgment on their fundamental human rights enforcement suit, held that the detention of the detainees for three years without trial contravened the provisions of the 1999 constitution on human rights.
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The Judge said the police acted in bad faith in keeping the detainees beyond the period required by law, especially when there was no cogent and verifiable ground of indictment of the applicants for any offence.
Justice Olajuwon consequently ordered that the seven applicants be released to their families.
The Judge ordered that each applicant be paid N2m as damages for their unlawful detention and another N1m as cost of litigation.
Peter Aboh, counsel to the applicants, applauded the judge for ordering his clients’ immediate release.
He said the authorities had wrongfully labelled the inmates as Boko Haram suspects in order to justify their arbitrary incarceration.
The lawyer added that the inmates were discovered while in jail by the Dayspring Life Foundation, an Abuja-based non-governmental organisation, which took up the case free of charge.
