El-Rufai Not Liable In ₦900m Court Judgement — Legal Team

The legal team to former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has denied recent media reports suggesting that a Federal High Court in Kaduna awarded a ₦900 million judgement against their client, in a human rights abuse case.

In a statement dated June 4, 2025, and signed by Sule Sheikh Umoru, a Partner at A.U. Mustapha & Co., the legal team clarified that no such financial judgment or any at all was entered against El-Rufai in the case.

The case Suit No: FHC/CS/23/2024, was presided over by Justice H. Buhari and involved six respondents including El-Rufai as the 1st Respondent, the Governor of Kaduna State, the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, and the Kaduna State Attorney General.

Umoru said El-Rufai had no prior knowledge of the lawsuit until it surfaced in the media, as he had never been served any court documents or hearing notices.

He explained that following the media reports, his legal team obtained the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment on June 4, 2025, after a delay caused by a strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

El-Rufai’s lawyers said the CTC confirmed that the court did not assign any liability to El-Rufai and made no monetary award against him.

The statement noted that the judgment explicitly stated that while El-Rufai allegedly made a comment at a meeting with the Adara community where he referred to the applicant, Awemi Dio Maisamari, as “part of the problem”, there was no evidence linking him to the applicant’s subsequent arrest.

The lawyers narrated that the court noted that, “The applicant ought to have adduced evidence to support the assertion that it was the 1st respondent who ordered his arrest through the agents of the 3rd to 5th Respondents.

“The applicant did not adduce evidence to substantiate this claim,” they said.

Umoru maintained that court’s monetary awards, seen via the CTC, were solely against the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police (3rd to 5th Respondents).

These included ₦10 million in compensation, ₦10 million in general damages, and a refund of filing costs based on submitted receipts.

The team condemned what it described as inaccurate media reports as “false and misleading,” urging journalists to verify such legal outcomes through official channels before publishing.

“This kind of misreporting not only misinforms the public but also undermines confidence in the judiciary,” the statement read.

The former governor’s lawyers however attached a copy of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment the press statement.