Dutse, Jan.27, 2026
Jigawa state High Court has ordered the immediate and unconditional release of one Mr. Ja’o Sabo, who has been in detention for over 10 years without conviction by a competent court.
Justice Ado Yusif Birnin-kudu, the presiding judge, gave the order during a court session on Tuesday in Dutse, following a Fundamental Rights Enforcement suit filed by the applicant, Mr. Ja’o Sabo. Mr. Sabo was initially arrested in 2014 and arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Gumel, on charges of criminal conspiracy and armed robbery.
However, the case failed to proceed to a proper trial before a court, with the requisite jurisdiction to hear such serious offences. Consequently, Mr. Sabo remained in custody, since he was arrested in 2014 until he filed the suit on violation of his constitutional rights.
Justice Yusif while passing the judgement, explained that the prolonged detention of Mr. Sabo without trial, was a violation of his fundamental rights, as enshrined in Sections 35 (Right to Personal Liberty), 36 (Right to Fair Hearing), 41 (Freedom of Movement), and 46 (Enforcement of Rights) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
The judge also added that Articles 4 (Right to Life and Integrity), 6 (Right to Personal Liberty), 7 (Right to Fair Trial), and 12 (Freedom of Movement) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act were also violated.
Consequently, the court orderered the Respondents (the Attorney-General of Jigawa State, the Jigawa State Government, and the Commissioner of Police) to discharge the Applicant, Mr. Ja’o Sabo alias Ya’u, from detention forthwith.
The Respondents were further ordered to jointly pay the sum of N10,000,000.00, to Mr. Sabo as compensation for the gross violation of his fundamental rights and the hardship endured during his decade long unlawful detention.
Moreover, the court ordered the Respondents to tender a public apology to Mr. Sabo, which must be broadcasted on major radio stations within Jigawa State, acknowledging the violation of his rights.
Commenting on the judgement, the Counsel to the applicant Esq Baffa Al’asan, expressed that the judgment serves as a powerful reminder of the sacrosanct nature of constitutional guarantees and the judiciary’s significant role as the guardian of citizens’ rights.
He claimed that it reinforces the legal principle, that the state must uphold due process and that indefinite detention without trial, is unacceptable in a democratic society governed by the rule of law.
Aisha Ahmed ✍ from Dutse
