Fatima said the murder of her father, Ahmed, by the police, amounted to a gross violation of his rights as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
A young lady, Fatima Kabiru-Ahmed, who is a daughter of Kabiru Ahmed, a member of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria killed by the police, has filed a N5 billion lawsuit against the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to compensate for the alleged killing of her father.
She made the demand in a fundamental rights enforcement suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/364/2021 dated March 16 filed by her lawyer, Bala Dakum, at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Fatima said the murder of her father, Ahmed, by the police, amounted to a gross violation of his rights as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
The 2nd to 4th respondents in the law suit include: the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Bala Ciroma; Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and Medical Director, Wuse District General Hospital.
Fatima, the first daughter of Kabiru, according to the originating motion, sought the court’s declaration that the killing of her father was illegal and unlawful.
Other reliefs sought include “an order of the court directing the respondents to jointly and severally pay the applicant the sum of N5 billion for the killing of Kabiru.
“An order of the court directing the respondents to tender a formal apology to the applicant and her family by publishing the same in two national daily newspapers.”
In the affidavit in support of the motion, the applicant deposed that her father, among others, was shot by the police on January 26, 2021 while on a peaceful protest at the National Human Rights Commission at Maitama, Abuja, to demand the release of the wife of Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, Mallama Zeenah.
Fatima, who spoke with journalists in Abuja, said, “Other members of the movement made efforts to take my father to the hospital because he was bleeding profusely but the police scared them off with gunshots and took my father away.”
She said Kabiru’s body was later found at Wuse District Hospital after several efforts. “The staff on duty went through their records and confirmed that my father was brought in dead on January 26 and his corpse was deposited at the hospital’s mortuary by the police led by one SP Solomon.
"I demanded to see his body and it was shown to me," she said.
She said the hospital management told her that Kabiru’s body would only be released with the permission of the police.
The applicant added that she was invited by the FCT Commissioner of Police who admitted that her father was killed by his officers and his body deposited at General Hospital.
She was asked to make a statement and state her demands.
Fatima explained that she made a statement and demanded that an autopsy be conducted on the body of her late father but the request was turned down by the police.
She said, “They said it was confidential, that the Attorney General of Federation is the chief law officer of the country and has a duty to advise the police but refused to advise them appropriately."