Court awards N2m damages for unlawful detention of man

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A High Court sitting in Uke, Nasarawa State, has awarded N2 million in damages to one Stephen Jonah for his unlawful and prolonged detention by the Nasarawa State Police Command.

The decision followed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed on Jonah’s behalf by the Restorative Justice for Africa Initiative (REJA), a human rights organization.

Jonah had been detained at the Keffi Maximum Security Correctional Facility since 2022 without proper legal procedures.

The case, filed on December 5, 2023, under Suit No: NSD/MG610/2023, listed the Commissioner of Police and the Attorney General of Nasarawa State as respondents.

According to a statement from REJA, the organization discovered Mr. Jonah during a routine visit to the Keffi Correctional Centre and promptly took action to challenge his detention in court.

In Tuesday’s ruling, the court declared Jonah’s detention a violation of his constitutional rights and criticized the Nasarawa State Police Command for failing to comply with the state’s Administration of Criminal Justice Law.

“The Court in its judgement held that the Nasarawa Police Command ‘failed to comply with the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Nasarawa State’ and wrongfully violated the Applicant’s right to freedom and dignity as a Nigerian Citizen,” REJA quoted the judgment.

The court also directed the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Jonah from detention.

In response to the ruling, REJA called the judgment a triumph for human rights and justice. The organization urged the Nasarawa State Attorney General and the Assistant Controller of Corrections to ensure full adherence to the court’s order.

“We call upon the Attorney General of Nasarawa State and the Assistant Controller of Corrections, Nasarawa State, to comply with the court’s order and release Stephen Jonah immediately,” REJA said in a statement.

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“Every week, volunteer lawyers and paralegals visit correctional facilities across Nigeria as a strong commitment to improving access to justice for indigent inmates who have been trapped in the justice system and forgotten by the ones who swore to protect their rights,” the group stated.

“The disturbing trend of law enforcement agents remanding and forgetting people behind bars for years, only to file unsubstantiated charges when a rights action is filed, must be strongly condemned and discouraged,” it added.

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