A Federal High Court in Abuja has exonerated Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, former Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, from allegations of murder made by the Kano State government. The court also ordered the Kano State government to pay Doguwa ₦25 million in damages.
Doguwa, who represents Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency in Kano State and chairs the House Committee on Downstream Petroleum, had his political aspirations to become Speaker of the House of Representatives thwarted by these allegations, which surfaced during the 2023 general elections. The ruling New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Kano had accused him of murder and political violence.
Despite being arrested and arraigned in court over these charges, Doguwa was later released on bail by another court, which led him to seek a review of the police investigations that led to his arrest. The accusations were initially dismissed under the previous All Progressive Congress (APC) government led by Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, but were reopened by the current NNPP-led administration, accusing Doguwa of killing over 15 people, mostly NNPP members.
In response, Doguwa sued the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Inspector-General of Police, the Governor of Kano State, and the Attorney-General of Kano State for infringement of his rights to dignity, liberty, and freedom of movement.
The Federal High Court’s judgment, dated December 5, 2023, and released last week, in suit No: FHC/ABJ/ABJ/CS/714/2019, confirmed that Doguwa was wrongly accused, clearing him of the murder charges and awarding him ₦25 million in damages against the Kano State Government and the police.
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