Court Awards N12m Damages against Police for Abduction, Detention of THE WHISTLER Reporter

A Federal Capital Territory High Court has ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay N12 million in damages for the abduction and illegal detention of Kasarahchi Aniagolu, a reporter for THE WHISTLER Newspaper. Aniagolu was arrested, assaulted, and detained for eight hours by police in Abuja on February 21, 2024, while allegedly investigating illegal bureau de change operators in Wuse Zone 4.

Aniagolu subsequently filed a lawsuit on October 25, 2024, seeking N100 million in damages. She claimed that the police abducted her, breached her privacy by seizing her phone and deleting pictures, and subjected her to inhuman treatment during her detention, thereby infringing on her fundamental rights. The suit was filed on her behalf by the legal firm of Adekunle Kosoko Esq. of Seasons Law Firm, Abuja.

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subjected the Applicant to inhuman and degrading treatment in contravention of Section 34(1)(a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

In a recent judgment, Justice Bello Kawu declared that the police "subjected the Applicant to inhuman and degrading treatment in contravention of Section 34(1)(a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)." The court also ruled that the "abduction of the applicant by officers of the Respondents and the subsequent detention of the Applicant at the Respondent’s station in Guzape District of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja infringed on the Applicants right to personal liberty, in contravention of sections 35(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)."

Justice Kawu ordered the Police to pay the reporter N10 million as damages for the infringement on her fundamental rights and an additional N2 million to cover the cost of litigation. The ruling underscores the legal protections afforded to journalists and the consequences of police misconduct.

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abduction of the applicant by officers of the Respondents and the subsequent detention of the Applicant at the Respondent’s station in Guzape District of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja infringed on the Applicants right to personal liberty, in contravention of sections 35(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).