Meeting Disruptions: El-Rufai, Others Floor Police In Court, Get N15m Compensation

A High Court sitting successful Kaduna, connected Wednesday, awarded the sum of N15 cardinal against the Kaduna State Police Command arsenic damages for disrupting the August 30, 2025 and September 4, 2025 meetings of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) successful Kaduna State, respectively.

The court, presided implicit by Hon. Murtala J. Zubairu, besides granted a perpetual injunction restraining the Commissioner of Police successful Kaduna State, his officers and privies from interfering with lawful governmental gatherings of the defendants/counter claimants.

It would beryllium recalled that 2 meetings involving a erstwhile politician of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and different chieftains of the ADC and SDP successful the State were truncated archetypal connected the August 30, 2025, by suspected hired thugs successful the beingness of constabulary officers and past by Policemen connected the September 4, 2025.

According to the Police, their enactment was based connected an Exparte Order obtained successful the suit marked KDH/KAD/NPD/1315/2025 betwixt the Commissioner of Police Vs. ADC and SDP.

However, delivering judgement connected the suit aft reviewing each the facts and submissions of counsels to some the plantiffs and Respondents, the tribunal not lone dismissed the suit instituted by the Police “for being incompetent and constituting an maltreatment of tribunal process” but upheld the prayers of the defendants/counter claimants.

The tribunal directed arsenic follows, “A declaration is granted that the Applicant’s nonaccomplishment to analyse the complaints successful Exhibits A2 and A3 and their consequent enactment to
suspend/prohibit the Counter-Claimant’s lawful assemblies constitutes a breach of statutory work nether Sections 4, 83, and 84 of the Police Act 2020.

“A declaration is granted that the ex parte interim injunction granted by this Honourable Court connected September 4, 2025, and the reliefs sought successful the Originating Summons, infringed the Counter-Claimant’s cardinal rights to state of assembly and relation nether Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), without justifiable derogation nether Section 45 (1).

“A declaration is granted that the Applicant’s actions, including the exertion for a broad prohibition of each governmental assemblies successful the State based connected unverified intelligence, magnitude to selective enforcement and an maltreatment of process.

“An Order is hereby granted discharging the ex parte interim injunction granted connected September 4, 2025, for procedural irregularities and deficiency of merit.

“An Order of perpetual injunction is hereby granted restraining the Applicant (Commissioner of police, Kaduna State), his officers, agents, oregon privies from further interfering with the Counter
Claimant’s lawful governmental activities, including meetings, rallies, and assemblies, without owed process of law.

“An bid is granted directing the Applicant to promptly analyse the complaints lodged by the Respondents (Exhibits A2 and A3) and the alleged unit of August 30, 2025, and supply a study to the Attorney-General of
Kaduna State for indispensable enactment wrong 60 days from the day of this judgment.

“The grounds earlier this tribunal shows a wide abdication of work by the Applicant. Rather than support the victims of the August 30 incident, the constabulary sought judicial screen to curtail their rights. This is unacceptable successful a law democracy.”

In his orders, the tribunal declared that the constabulary breached their statutory work nether Sections 4, 83, and 84 of the Police Act 2020, which mandate the unit to supply capable information for assemblies and processions.

Justice Zubairu besides voided the ex-parte interim injunction earlier obtained by the constabulary connected September 4, 2025, connected the crushed that it was issued without the mandatory undertaking arsenic to damages, contrary to the Supreme Court’s determination successful Kotoye v CBN (1989).

He held that, “The ex parte bid obtained without the required undertaking is irregular, oppressive, and contrary to law. The resulting wounded to the respondents indispensable be compensated.”