Nigerian court awards journalist N12 million damages against police for illegal arrest
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
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- A Nigerian court awarded N12 million in damages to a journalist against the police for illegal arrest and detention.
- The Federal Capital Territory High Court ruled that police violated reporter Kasarahchi Aniagolu's rights by arresting, assaulting, and detaining her for eight hours.
- The case highlights a broader pattern of attacks on journalists in Nigeria, with hundreds of such incidents reported in recent years.
A Nigerian court has ordered the police to pay N12 million in damages to a journalist who was illegally arrested and detained. The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja ruled on Wednesday that police violated reporter Kasarahchi Aniagolu's fundamental rights.
N10 million as damages for the infringement on her fundamental rights.
Justice Bello Kawu stated that the police subjected Aniagolu to "inhuman and degrading treatment" and infringed on her right to personal liberty. The court awarded N10 million for the rights infringement and N2 million for litigation costs.
N2 million to cover the cost of litigation.
Aniagolu, a reporter for THE WHISTLER newspaper, was arrested on February 21, 2024, while covering a police crackdown on alleged illegal currency exchange operators in Abuja. Despite identifying herself as a journalist, she was reportedly assaulted, had her phone and camera seized, and was detained for about eight hours.
subjected the applicant to inhuman and degrading treatment
Her case is part of a larger trend of press freedom violations in Nigeria. Data indicates hundreds of attacks on journalists and media houses between 2023 and early 2026. Nigeria ranked 112th in the World Press Freedom Index, according to Reporters Without Borders.
infringed on the Applicant’s right to personal liberty, in contravention
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Premium Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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