Former Ogun State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Hon. Itunu Temitayo Abioro, has described the recent court judgment awarding ₦15 million in damages against the Nigeria Police Force for breaching the rights of opposition politicians in Kaduna as a victory for democracy and justice.
Abioro, in a statement made available to us on Thursday, said the ruling reaffirmed Nigerians’ constitutional right to peaceful assembly and sent a strong message to security agencies and politicians who abuse power.
“I am grateful that justice finally prevails. Nigerians are guaranteed the right to peacefully assemble, and high-handedness or abuse of power from elected officials and civil servants should be a thing of the past,” Abioro stated.
He urged the Ogun State government and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to learn from the Kaduna judgment, warning that the harassment and intimidation allegedly experienced by opposition politicians during the last bye-elections in the state should not be repeated.
“Ogun State and the ruling APC should learn from this. The intimidations faced by some opposition political party figures during the last bye-elections should not be part of our politics,” he said, while condemning any form of oppression against opposition parties and their members.
Abioro emphasised that the court’s decision had reaffirmed the supremacy of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), particularly Section 40, which guarantees the right to freedom of assembly and association.
A Kaduna State High Court, presided over by Justice Murtala J. Zubairu, on Wednesday awarded ₦15 million in damages against the Police for unlawfully disrupting political meetings of the ADC and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) held on August 30 and September 4, 2025, in Kaduna.
The meetings, which involved former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and other opposition leaders, were reportedly disrupted—first by thugs in the presence of police officers and later by the Police themselves—on the strength of an ex parte injunction.
In his ruling, Justice Zubairu dismissed the Police’s suit as “incompetent and an abuse of court process,” describing their actions as a breach of statutory duty under the Police Act 2020 and an infringement on the fundamental rights of the affected parties.
The court also granted a perpetual injunction restraining the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, his officers, and agents from further interfering with the lawful political activities of the ADC and SDP.
Justice Zubairu ordered the Police to investigate the violence that occurred during the disrupted meetings and submit a report to the Kaduna State Attorney-General within 60 days.
