Bauchi CP to Pay Teachers N200,000 Over Unlawful Arrest

The Bauchi State High Court presided over by Justice Mohammed Abubakar Sambo yesterday ordered the state's commissioner of police to apologize and to pay the sum of N200, 000 as general damages over unlawful arrest and detention of 11 secondary school teachers.

Police detained the secondary school teachers over allegations of conspiracy, assault and attempt to commit homicide, it was gathered.

Daily Trust learnt that the teachers in their effort to enforce strike, beat up NECO officials in one of the secondary schools in Azare, thinking that they were members of their union. It was gathered that after the incident, the teachers were arrested by the police and all efforts to secure their bail failed.

The detained teachers, after their release filed a motion asking the court to enforce their fundamental human rights as guaranteed by Section 35,36 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.

Delivering his judgement, Justice Sambo, said the arrest and detention by the police in Azare and their detention in the Bauchi State CID without arraignment were contrary to Section 35 and 41 of the 1999 constitution.

He also declared that the refusal to grant the applicants bail when demanded by their colleagues and relatives after it had become clear that courts were embarking on strike on March 1, 2013, and their subsequent transfer to the Bauchi prison without a remand warrant order from a magistrate or judge, were illegal.