A woman, Mrs. Mary Kajo, has won a landmark case against the Nigeria Police Force over the alleged arrest, unlawful detention, torture, and death of her husband, Mark Kajo, in 2018.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday awarded her N100 million in damages and N500,000 in legal costs, with a five percent interest rate until the debt is paid.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, who delivered the judgment, said the police did not contest the evidence of the widow, which he deemed admissible and reliable.
He condemned the “inexplicable cold-blooded extra-judicial killing” of Mark Kajo by the police, saying it was “wrongful, illegal and unconstitutional”.
He said the deceased had a right to life under the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which the police violated.
He also expressed dismay that the police showed no remorse for the loss of a citizen’s life in their custody.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mrs. Kajo sued the Inspector-General of Police, the Benue Commissioner of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation as the first and fourth respondents, respectively.
She said her husband, a plumber, was arrested on Jan. 1, 2018 at Wurukum Market in Makurdi, where he had gone to buy medicine for their sick child. He was accused of receiving a stolen car from one Aondover, who confessed to the crime.
She said he was transferred to the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) in Abuja, where he was tortured and killed by armed thugs who attacked the police vehicle.
According to her, his body was dumped at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Morgue in Gwagwalada.
She said she filed a petition with the Presidential Panel on SARS Reform in 2018, but the police denied any wrongdoing.
She added that the AGF did not oppose her suit but only argued that his office was not liable.