Court Orders Release, N10 Million Compensation for Man Detained 10 Years Without Trial

A Jigawa State High Court has ordered the immediate release of Mr. Ja’o Sabo, who spent more than a decade in detention without trial, and awarded him N10 million in damages alongside a public apology from state authorities.

Sabo was arrested in 2014 on allegations of criminal conspiracy and armed robbery but remained in custody for over ten years without his case being heard.

In a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the High Court in Birnin Kudu on Tuesday, Justice Ado Yusif Birnin-Kudu ruled that Sabo’s prolonged detention violated his constitutional rights. “The respondents are ordered to discharge the applicant, Mr. Ja’o Sabo alias Ya’u, from detention forthwith,” the judge declared.

The court directed the Attorney-General of Jigawa State, the state government, and the Commissioner of Police to jointly pay N10 million in compensation and issue a public apology to Sabo, to be broadcast on major radio stations across the state.

Justice Birnin-Kudu cited sections 35, 36, 41, and 46 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as well as Articles 4, 6, 7, and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, highlighting the infringement of Sabo’s rights to liberty, fair trial, and personal security.

Sabo’s lawyer, Baffa Al’asan, described the judgment as a strong affirmation of the judiciary’s role in protecting citizens’ fundamental rights.