A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the immediate and unconditional release of Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir Zaria. The court also ruled that the freezing of his bank account was unlawful and awarded him N4 million in damages for the violation of his fundamental rights. The judgment was delivered on Thursday by Justice Obiora Egwuatu. The cleric was arrested in December last year after travelling to Abuja to address issues connected to the restriction on his account. The Department of State Services, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the managing director of United Bank for Africa were named as respondents in the suit. The court held that the actions of the security agencies and the bank violated Sheikh Zaria's constitutional rights to freedom of movement and personal liberty. In addition to the N4 million awarded for illegal detention, the court ordered the bank to pay N2 million for wrongfully freezing the cleric's account. The judgment emphasized that no government agency has the authority to restrict a citizen's access to funds without a court order. The court further directed that all security operatives must ensure Sheikh Zaria is released immediately and not re-arrested for the same matter.
The same agencies that detained Sheikh Zaria and froze his account now stand ordered to pay him N6 million for doing so, exposing a clear contradiction in their actions. The court found no legal basis for the arrest or financial blockade, yet these measures disrupted the cleric's life for months. Nigerians whose accounts have been frozen or who face similar security interventions without due process now have a precedent, but no apology. The ruling does not undo the period of detention or financial paralysis already suffered.
⚖️ NaijaBuzz is an AI-assisted news aggregator. This content is curated from third-party sources — NaijaBuzz is not the original publisher and is not responsible for the accuracy of source reporting. The NaijaBuzz Take is AI-assisted editorial opinion only, not established fact. All persons mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. NaijaBuzz does not endorse the views expressed in source articles.
