A Federal High Court in Abuja has declined to grant an ex-parte order sought by former Special Duties Minister, Kabiru Turaki, to prevent the police from presenting a DNA test result in court in connection with a paternity dispute involving him and a woman, Hadiza Baffa.
Justice Inyang Ekwo rejected the request on Tuesday while ruling on a motion ex-parte for an interim injunction filed by Turaki. The former minister had filed the motion alongside a substantive suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/244/2025, challenging the process leading to the DNA test result and alleging that the police violated his fundamental rights in obtaining his samples.
Turaki listed the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, the Deputy Commissioner of Police for Gender, Rita Oki Oyintare, and Hadiza Baffa as respondents in the suit.
During the court proceedings, Turaki’s lawyer, Abdulaziz Ibrahim (SAN), argued that the motion sought to prevent the respondents from presenting the DNA test result before any court. Justice Ekwo questioned the request, asking if the court could prevent anyone from tendering evidence in legal proceedings. Ibrahim insisted that the judge had the authority to grant the order due to the alleged violation of Turaki’s fundamental rights in obtaining the DNA sample.
Turaki’s motion specifically sought "an order of interim injunction restraining the respondents either by themselves, their servants, agents, privies or through other persons from presenting, using, or relying on the purported DNA paternity test result procured from the DNA Labs Limited or any other DNA laboratory on November 5, 2024, or any other date thereafter, in any civil or criminal proceedings or for any purpose whatsoever against the applicant pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion."
Justice Ekwo ruled that he could not grant the request without first hearing from the respondents. He ordered Turaki to notify all respondents within two days and instructed the respondents to appear before the court on the next adjourned date to explain why the motion should not be granted.
The judge also directed Turaki to serve the respondents with all filed documents and adjourned the case to February 24 for further proceedings.
In an affidavit supporting the motion, Turaki stated that he had previously filed a suit, marked No. CV/35/2024, on June 24, 2024, at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) seeking a perpetual injunction against Hadiza Baffa, preventing her from claiming she was married to him or had a child for him.
Despite the ongoing legal proceedings, he said the police invited him based on multiple petitions from Baffa. He alleged that on November 5, 2024, when he honored the police invitation, the Deputy Commissioner of Police for Gender insisted on collecting a swab sample from him for a DNA test. Turaki claimed he protested but was placed under arrest and detained for about six hours at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja. He said his swab sample was later collected by a "purported scientist" around 9 p.m. before he was released an hour later.
Turaki disclosed that a criminal charge has been filed against him at the Federal Capital Territory Magistrate Court, Abuja, and alleged that the police intend to rely on the disputed DNA test result in the case. He argued that unless the court intervenes, the test result will be used against him, causing him "irreversible injury" even if the suit is ultimately decided in his favor.
He further asserted that without interim court orders, he would suffer exceptional hardship before the resolution of the main case.
