A High Court sitting in Kaduna has ordered the Kaduna State Police Command to pay ₦15 million in damages to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) for unlawfully disrupting their political meetings held on August 30 and September 4, 2025. The ruling, delivered by Justice Murtala J. Zubairu, also included a perpetual injunction preventing the police from interfering with the lawful political gatherings of the two parties.

The meetings, which had in attendance former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and other party leaders, were reportedly disrupted — first by suspected thugs in the presence of police officers and later directly by the police. The police had claimed that their actions were based on an ex-parte order obtained in a suit between the Commissioner of Police and the political parties.

However, Justice Zubairu dismissed the police suit, describing it as “incompetent and an abuse of court process.” He ruled that the police had failed in their duty to protect lawful assemblies as required under Sections 4, 83, and 84 of the Police Act 2020, and instead acted in a way that violated the parties’ constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and association under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The court also voided the ex-parte order obtained by the police, noting that it lacked the mandatory undertaking as to damages, which makes it “irregular and oppressive.” Justice Zubairu emphasized that the police’s failure to investigate the alleged violence of August 30, while seeking to restrict political gatherings, amounted to “abdication of duty” and went against democratic principles.

In conclusion, the court ordered the police to investigate the earlier violence and submit a report to the Attorney-General of Kaduna State within 60 days, stressing that law enforcement agencies must protect political freedoms, not suppress them. The judgment is widely seen as a victory for democracy and constitutional rights in Nigeria.