A Federal Capital Territory High Court has ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay N12m in damages to a reporter with THE WHISTLER Newspaper, Kasarahchi Aniagolu, for her unlawful arrest and detention in Abuja.
Justice Bello Kawu, in a judgment delivered on Wednesday, held that the police violated the journalist’s fundamental rights by subjecting her to inhuman and degrading treatment and unlawfully depriving her of her liberty.
Aniagolu was arrested on February 21, 2024, in Wuse Zone 4 during a police operation targeting suspected illegal bureau de change operators. She was allegedly assaulted and detained for about eight hours before her release.
She subsequently sued the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force, seeking N100m in damages for the alleged violation of her fundamental rights.
The journalist told the court that police officers seized her mobile phone, deleted photographs stored on it and subjected her to degrading treatment while in custody.
Justice Kawu ruled that the police breached Section 34(1)(a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution by subjecting the applicant to inhuman and degrading treatment.
The judge also held that her arrest and detention at the Guzape Police Station violated her right to personal liberty guaranteed under Section 35(1) of the Constitution.
The court awarded Aniagolu N10m as general damages for the violation of her fundamental rights and an additional N2m as the cost of litigation.
The suit was filed on her behalf by Adekunle Kosoko of Seasons Law Firm, Abuja.
