Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has been ordered to pay N500 million to the 2023 governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Murtala Ajaka, over fundamental rights violation.
The order was issued on Thursday by Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The judge also instructed the outgoing governor to tender a public apology to Ajaka “for the gross and unwarranted violation” of his rights.
In addition, security agencies and their heads are to ensure that the governorship candidate is secured.
The judge further made “an order of injunction, restraining the security agencies from arresting/abducting, detaining and/or further harassing, intimidating, shooting/threatening the applicant’s life and properties”.
Ajaka sought judicial protection against Bello in an originating motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/952/2023, filed on July 11 by his lawyer, S.E. Aruwa, SAN.
The Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, Kogi State Commissioner of Police, the Department of State Service (DSS), and the Director General of the DSS were joined in the suit as respondents.
Other respondents are the Director of the DSS Command in Kogi, the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, and the Chief of Naval Staff.
Earlier, Ajaka said he firmly believed that as soon as the originating processes for the enforcement of his fundamental rights were served on the respondents, they would intensify efforts, albeit illegally, to force him to Kogi to be killed.
He said prior to this time, he had contested in the Kogi governorship primary election under the APC.
Ajaka averred that to dissuade him from contesting the APC primary, the governor, who had announced his cousin brother, Alhaji Usman Ododo, as his successor, pointedly demanded that he stepped down.
“He (Bello) further accompanied this demand with threats to taking my life on failure of compliance,” he alleged.