Army Colonel Sues FG Over Six‑Month Detention, Demands ₦500m Compensation
A serving officer of the Nigerian Army, Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji, has taken the Federal Government to the Federal High Court in Abuja over what he described as his unlawful detention since September 2025.
In a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed under the 2009 Rules, Ma’aji is demanding his immediate release and ₦500 million in damages for alleged violations of his constitutional rights.
The suit names the Attorney General of the Federation, the Chief of Army Staff, the Nigerian Army, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence as respondents, and challenges the legality of his continued detention without trial.
Through his counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), Ma’aji argued that being held for over six months without being charged before any court amounts to a breach of his rights to personal liberty and human dignity.
Court documents indicate that he was arrested around September 30, 2025, alongside others over alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow the government.
He alleged that since his arrest, he has been kept in a military facility in Abuja without access to his family, lawyers, or proper medical care.
The officer further claimed that authorities have failed to arraign him within a reasonable time as required by the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Among his requests, he is asking the court to declare his detention illegal and order his immediate release, or alternatively compel his arraignment within seven days.
He is also seeking ₦500 million in compensation for what he described as months of unlawful incarceration.
An affidavit filed in support of the case stated that he has been held incommunicado despite claims that investigations have already been completed.
No date has been fixed for hearing the case.
