A Federal High Court in Kano has postponed the hearing of a ₦1 billion lawsuit filed against the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services over the arrest and detention of six activists during last year’s #EndBadGovernance protest.
The case, marked Suit No: FHC/KN/CS/41/2025, was brought before the court on Thursday but was adjourned after the respondents, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, and the State Security Service, requested more time to prepare their defence.
The court granted their request and set the next hearing for March 26, 2025.
The six activists, made up of lawyers and members of civil society, were arrested on September 30, 2024, in Kano and moved to Abuja, where they were held for two days without being charged.
They are asking the court to declare their arrest a violation of their fundamental rights to peaceful assembly and free expression, as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Part of their motion reads, “They are entitled to freely express their views under Section 39 of the Constitution and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.”
The activists are also demanding ₦1 billion in damages and a court order to stop security agencies from harassing or arresting them in the future.
“An order mandating the respondents to jointly compensate them with ₦1 billion for the violation of their rights,” the motion stated.
Lawyers from Humanitarian Chambers, Kano, led by Saleh M. Thirmizi, Esq., represented the activists in court, while the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sent its legal team to observe the proceedings.
With security agencies often accused of suppressing protests and dissent, this case is seen as an important test of the judiciary’s independence and its ability to hold authorities accountable for human rights violations.
The court will continue the hearing later this month.
