Blogger Sues El-Rufai, IG, Others

A blogger, Stephen Kefas, who has been in detention for about five months allegedly at the instigation of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai has filed a N500 million suit against the Kaduna governor, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, and four others over alleged infringements of his human rights.

Kefas, who is spending 143 days in Kaduna Prison as at yesterday without bail, over alleged inciting comments against Governor Nasir El-Rufai and the Chairman of Kajuru Local Government, Cafra Caino, approached the Federal High Court, Kaduna through his counsel, Gloria Mabeaim Ballason, The Nation reports.

The paper said Kefas is insisting that his fundamental human rights have been breached by the six respondents listed in the following order: Cafra Caino, Chairman, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State; Aisha Dikko, Special Adviser on Legal Affairs to Kaduna State Governor; Governor of Kaduna State; Attorney-General of Kaduna State; Kaduna State Commissioner of Police and Inspector General of Police.

According to the report, in the case filed as suit: FHC/KD/62/19, dated 10th October, 2019, Kefas asked the court to  make 15 declarations among which included that: “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 (CRFN)”.

The case was, however, adjourned till October 25 to allow the lead counsel of the respondents, Elijah Bakam of the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice, prepare his defence.