The Kano State Police Command allegedly ignored a high court order to release lawyer Ahmad Tijjani Miko, keeping him in custody for seven days without court appearance, the Nigerian Bar Association said on Thursday.
Usman Umar Fari, chairman of the NBA's Kano branch, said the Kano State High Court had ordered Miko's immediate release in a case against the Commissioner of Police and three others. The court order was officially served on the Commissioner, Fari said, but police refused to comply.
Miko's detention without being brought before a court for a week amounts to a fundamental rights violation, Fari said. The police action also undermines the authority of the judiciary itself and threatens the stability of civil society.
"When those who are paid by taxpayers to enforce the law become the frontline violators of the law, the fabric of civil society is fundamentally threatened," Fari said in his statement. "This flagrant disobedience is not just a violation of the detained legal practitioner's fundamental human rights; it is a direct assault on the judiciary and a dangerous invitation to anarchy."
Fari warned that police contempt for court orders encourages lawlessness across society. Citizens cannot be expected to respect the law if security agencies ignore it themselves, he said. The police must operate strictly within the Constitution and the rule of law, not above it.
The NBA called for Miko's immediate and unconditional release in compliance with the court's ruling. The case highlights growing tension between law enforcement and the judiciary in Kano State, with lawyers questioning whether the courts have any power if their orders go unenforced.
