A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos and presided over by Justice Mohammed Idris has ordered the Nigerian Police Force, to pay the sum of N200 million for the family of late Waheed Kabiru, who was alleged killed by the men of Igbogbo Police Division.
The judge also compelled the Police to publicly apologise in three widely Nigeria newspapers for the unlawful killing of the deceased, and to release the deceased’s corpse to his family for decent burial.
The judge further declared that the sudden disappearance, killing and extra-judicial murder of the deceased, late Waheed Kabiru, by the men of Igbogbo Police Division, was Illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and gross violation of his constitutional rights as enshrined under Sections 33 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the African Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Justice Idris further declared that the arrest, torture, and detention of the deceased brother, Ibrahim Kabiru, at Igbogbo Police Station Cell, from November 20, 2015, till date, is wrongful, Illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and gross violation of his constitutional rights as enshrined under Sections 33,34,35 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The judge also made a perpetual injunction restraining the police from harassing, intimidating, inviting, arresting or detaining the deceased brother and his family members in connection with the matter.
Justice Idris order was sequel to Ibrahim Kabiru’s fundamental rights suit filed before the court by against the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, by the duo of Barrister Yaqub Eleto, and Sanni Saidi, over the alleged unlawful killing of his brother, Waheed Kabiru, who was alleged tortured to death by men of Igbogbo Police Division.
Other respondents in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/371/2016, are Nigeria Police Force, and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Igbogbo Police Station, Ikorodu, Lagos.
In the affidavit in support of the suit, Ibrahim Kabiru, had stated that his deceased brother, Waheed Kabiru, the men of Igbogbo Police Division, arrested the deceased on November 20, 2015, by eight armed policemen who were from Igbogbo Police Division, on the order of their DPO, Mr. Remilekun Adesoye. Adding that on getting to the station of December 2, 2015, the police informed him and other members of his family of the sudden disappearance, killing and extra-judicial murder of his brother in the detention cell of Igbogbo Police Station.
The deponent averred further that despite several petitions written on the extra-judicial killing of his brother to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, no response has been received on the matter from the Lagos State Command of Nigerian Police. While his brother’s corpse cannot be found since he was arrested, detained, tortured and killed by the police.
Prior to the arrest, detained, tortured and killing of the deceased, the deponent stated that his brother did not commit any offence known to law in Nigeria to warrant the gross Infringement of his fundamental rights to life.
Throughout the pendency of the suit, none of the respondents filed any reply to the suit, neither do they appear before the court
