Historic judicial ruling requires Nigerian police to pay compensation for killing of 3 Shia citizens
The Nigerian newspaper “Legit” reported that on Sunday, April 28, 2024, a judicial ruling was issued against the Nigerian police, ordering them to pay compensation of 300 million naira for the killing of three Shiite citizens in the town of Zaria twelve years ago.
According to the report, Justice Hawa Buhari of the Nigerian Federal Supreme Court imposed the fine on the police force for the killing of Ja’afar Majaji, Ali Lawal, and Muhsin Badamasi while they were participating in the Ashura commemoration ceremonies of Imam Hussein in 2022.
The ruling was based on articles 33, 38, 40, 42, and 46 of the 1999 Constitution and human rights laws in the country. Each martyr’s family will receive 100 million naira individually, and the police force will be required to pay 10% of these funds as annual interest.
The local newspaper stated that the ruling document will be distributed to the official press in Abuja on Sunday, and the accused will be required to publish an apology in one of the major newspapers in the country for the violation of their liberties.
Finally, “Legit” newspaper noted that among the prominent defendants in the case are the Inspector General of Police, the Deputy Inspector General of Police for Region 7 in Kaduna, the State Police Commissioner, the Commander of the Zaria Police, and others.
