After 144 days in Jail, Blogger sues El-Rufai, IG Police for N500 million

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Steven Kefas, human rights activists and a blogger, has filed a N500m suit against the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, and four others for the alleged infringement of his fundamental rights.

Kefas, who was declared the most wanted and arrested by the Kaduna State Police in Port Harcourt, has spent over 144 days in the Kaduna State prison without bail.

He was arrested and detained for allegedly inciting comments against the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai.

PUNCH news reported that the activist has filed a N500 million law suit against the governor and 5 others at the Federal High Court in Kaduna through his counsel, Gloria Ballason.

The defendants include, Cafra Caino, Chairman, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State; Aisha Dikko, Special Adviser on Legal Affairs to Kaduna State Governor; El-Rufai; The Attorney General of Kaduna State; The Kaduna State Commissioner of Police; and lastly, the Inspector-General of Police

He is challenging the decision of the state government to deny him bail, detaining him in prison for over three months. He is also demanding that the court should grant him an award of N500 million as damages for the infringement of his fundamental rights.

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Kefas, in the suit dated October 10, 2019 with number FHC/KD/62/19, prayed the court for 15 declarations including;

“The arrest and detention of the applicant by the 5th and 6th respondents’ facility on trumped-up charges is an extrajudicial arrest for which the applicant is suffering a physical and psychological torture and violates Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The unlawful arrest and the dehumanising manner the applicant was conveyed by agents of the 5th and 6th respondents from office to the police command

“and introducing him as the ‘notorious wanted person that was picked from Port Harcourt’ was degrading and affected his proper feeling of esteem and inherent dignity

“and violates Section 34 of the 1999 CFRN; Article 5 of the African Charter on Human Rights; articles 9, 13 & 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and Article 7 & 9 of the ICCPR.”

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