The court also ordered the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in Osun State to immediately commence the prosecution of the officer responsible for the killing.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has awarded ₦200 million in damages against the Nigeria Police Force over the unlawful killing of Mallam Kabiru Babai, a truck driver, Islamic cleric and philanthropist who was allegedly shot dead by a police sergeant in Osun State in December 2021.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu held that the killing of Babai by Sergeant Moses Samuel constituted a violation of his fundamental right to life as guaranteed under Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The court also ordered the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in Osun State to immediately commence the prosecution of the officer responsible for the killing.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1292/2022, was instituted on August 3, 2022, by the deceased's widow, Balkisu Kabiru Babai, through her counsel, Barrister Okpi Bernard Adaafu. The respondents were the Police Service Commission, the Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command, Sergeant Moses Samuel and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
