A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Abuja has awarded ₦12 million in damages against the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for the unlawful arrest, abduction, and detention of THE WHISTLER newspaper reporter, Kasarahchi Aniagolu, declaring that her fundamental rights were violated.
Justice Bello Kawu, who delivered the judgment on 29th July 2026, held that the police subjected the journalist to inhuman and degrading treatment and unlawfully deprived her of her personal liberty in violation of Sections 34 and 35 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Aniagolu was arrested on February 21, 2024, while covering events in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, where police operatives were reportedly conducting a covert operation against suspected illegal bureau de change operators. She alleged that she was assaulted, detained for about eight hours, and had her mobile phone seized, with photographs stored on the device deleted by police officers.
Following the incident, the journalist instituted a fundamental rights enforcement action against the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force on October 25, 2024, seeking ₦100 million in damages. The suit was filed on her behalf by Adekunle Kosoko, Esq., of Seasons Law Firm, Abuja.
In her suit, Aniagolu contended that her unlawful arrest, detention, seizure of her phone, and the deletion of photographs constituted violations of her constitutional rights to dignity, privacy, and personal liberty.
Delivering judgment, Justice Kawu declared that the police had infringed the applicant’s right to dignity of the human person by subjecting her to inhuman and degrading treatment contrary to Section 34(1)(a) and (b) of the Constitution.
The court also held that her abduction and subsequent detention at the police station in Guzape District, Abuja, violated her right to personal liberty guaranteed under Section 35(1) of the Constitution.
Consequently, the court awarded ₦10 million as general damages for the violation of Aniagolu’s fundamental rights and an additional ₦2 million as the cost of litigation, bringing the total award against the Nigeria Police Force to ₦12 million.
... FCT High Court Awards ₦12m Against Nigeria Police for Unlawful Arrest of Journalist Kasarahchi Aniagolu ... Naijaonpoint.