Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and the Nigerian Police Force were on Friday ordered to pay a N40m compensation to the President of Chocolate City Group, Audu Maikori over his unlawful arrest and detention between February 17 and 18 2017 and March 10, and 13, 2017.
Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court gave the judgement while ruling in the fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed by Maikori on May 5, 2017.
The Judge also directed the respondents to pay the sum of N1,430 to the applicant as the cost of instituting the suit.
Justice Tsoho held that his judgement was not meant to interfere with the ongoing trial of Makori in Kaduna.
The respondents to the suit are the Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, the Governor of Kaduna State and the Attorney-General of Kaduna State.
Stating that the arrest of Maikori in Lagos was unlawful, the Judge held that the police failed to register the arrest warrant obtained from a magistrates’ court in Kaduna in any court in Lagos.
Justice Tsoho said, “The arrest was improper, irregular and wrongful.
“By necessary implication, the arrest was unlawful despite being released after 24 hours.”
The Chocolate City boss was arrested on allegations of posting “inciting” tweets alleging the killing of some Southern Kaduna students by Fulani herdsmen.
Despite apologizing for the tweets on noticing that the information was false, the police obtained an order of arrest from a Magistrates’ court in Kaduna and against this backdrop, he was arrested in Lagos on February 17.
Following his arrest, Maikori was flown to Abuja where they detained him and released him on bail on February 18.
