The Federal High Court in Abuja has awarded N25 million in damages against the Kano State Government and the police for wrongly accusing a representative of the Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Alhaji Alhassan Ado Doguwa of murder.
Doguwa was accused of murdering three people, allegedly members of the then-opposition New Nigerian People’s Party during the February 25, 2023, general election.
Doguwa, a member of the All Progressive Congress and Chairman of the House Committee on Downstream Petroleum, claimed the police and the Kano State Government were biased after his arraignment as a principal actor in the incident.
His petition led to a review of the police investigation, resulting in the then-outgoing APC administration dropping the investigation and exonerating him.
However, upon taking office, the new governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, stated his intention to prosecute Doguwa, accusing him of killing over 15 people.
Yusuf, a member of the NNPP, declared, “In the same vein, we shall investigate all cases of political violence that led to the loss of lives and properties across the state in the last eight years. The infamous case of Alhassan Ado Doguwa, who allegedly sponsored the maiming and murder of over 15 innocent souls in Tudun Wada Local Government, will be pursued to its logical conclusion.”
In response, Doguwa sued the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Inspector-General of Police, the Governor of Kano State, and the Attorney-General of Kano State over alleged infringements on his rights to dignity, liberty, and freedom of movement.
In a certified true copy of the Federal High Court judgment dated December 5, 2023, in suit No: FHC/ABJ/ABJ/CS/714/2019, Judge D.U. Okorowo cleared Doguwa of the murder allegation.
