The Nigerian Police force has been ordered by a Lagos Federal High Court presided over by Justice Mohammed Idris, to pay N200 million to the family of late Waheed Kabiru, who was allegedly killed by the men of Igbogbo Police Division in Ikorodu, Lagos, about a year ago.
The judge also gave an order directing Police to publicly apologise in three Nigerian dailies for the unlawful killing of the deceased, and to release the deceased’s corpse to his family for decent burial.
While giving the judgment, Friday, Justice Idris declared that the sudden disappearance, killing and extra-judicial murder of the deceased 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.
The judge further declared that the arrest, torture, and detention of the deceased’s brother, Ibrahim Kabiru, at Igbogbo Police Station, since November 20, 2015, was 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.
The order was sequel to Ibrahim Kabiru’s fundamental rights suit filed before the court against the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, by Yaqub Eleto and Sanni Saidi, over the alleged unlawful killing of his brother, Waheed Kabiru, who was allegedly tortured to death by men of Igbogbo Police Division.
Another respondent in the suit is the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Igbogbo Police Station, Ikorodu, Lagos.
In the affidavit in support of the suit, Ibrahim Kabiru had stated that on November 20, 2015, eight armed policemen from Igbogbo Police Division, on the order of their DPO, Mr. Remilekun Adesoye, arrested his late brother.
