A Kaduna High Court has fined the state’s Commissioner of Police ₦15 million over alleged unconstitutional and oppressive actions against the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The judgment followed a suit filed by the ADC and SDP challenging the Commissioner’s move to obtain an interim order halting political activities across Kaduna State after the August 30, 2025, incident.
At the hearing on Wednesday, the court declared the police action unconstitutional, describing it as “an abuse of power and a violation of the fundamental rights to freedom of association and assembly.”
Justice Murtala Zubairu, who delivered the judgment, condemned the police for unlawfully restricting political gatherings and failing to protect participants at an ADC meeting allegedly attacked by thugs said to have links with state agents.
“The conduct of the police amounts to a blatant disregard for the rule of law and an infringement on democratic freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. Such behaviour cannot be tolerated in a democracy,” the judge stated.
The court ruled that the police acted outside their statutory duties under Sections 4, 83, and 84 of the Police Act 2020 by neglecting to investigate the attack on the ADC event while simultaneously seeking to bar opposition gatherings.
It also faulted the Commissioner’s ex parte application for lacking the mandatory undertaking as to damages, calling it “procedurally defective and oppressive.”
As a result, the court dismissed the police application as “incompetent and an abuse of judicial process,” and granted all the counterclaims filed by the respondents.
The court issued a perpetual injunction restraining the Commissioner of Police, his officers, and agents from interfering with the lawful political activities of the ADC and SDP without due process.
It also ordered the police to investigate the parties’ complaints regarding the alleged attack and submit a report to the Kaduna State Attorney-General within 60 days.
The ₦15 million fine was broken down as ₦5 million each for unlawful interference, wrongful injunction, and failure to investigate reported violence.
As of press time, the Kaduna State Police Command had yet to issue an official response to the judgment.
