Court sentences IGP to three months in prison for contempt

 Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court, Abuja has doomed the Inspector- General of Police( IGP), Usman Baba to three months in captivity for defying a court order, Vanguard reports. 

Olajuwon issued the ruling on Tuesday, November 28, 2022, following a suit filed by Patrick Okoli, a former police officer who claims he was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigerian police force. 

According to the affidavits in support of the suit, the aspirant was strongly retired in June 1992. 

After challenging his forceful withdrawal, a Bauchi high court on February 19, 1994, delivered judgment in favour of the aspirant and quashed the letter of mandatory withdrawal. 

Court rulings IGP to three months in captivity for disdain 

The high court also ordered that the aspirant be reinstated with all rights and boons. 

The Police Service Commission( PSC) in a letter dated October 13, 2004, directed the also- IGP to reinstate the aspirant and issue a recommendation for creation in agreement with the decision of the court. 

Accordingly, Okoli introduced a suit pronounced FHC/ ABJ/ CS/637/2009 at the Abuja civil high court seeking an order of mandamus to impel the enforcement of the order of the Bauchi state high court and the directives of the PSC. 

Court rulings IGP to three months in captivity for disdain 

The Abuja civil high court delivered its judgment in favour of the aspirant on October 21, 2011.

The office of the IGP appealed the civil high court judgment but the appeal was dismissed. 

The aspirant took farther way to apply the order including approaching the civil house of representatives who also wrote to the office of the IGP. 

After sweats failed, the aspirant approached the law establishment of Festus Keyamo, to commence a committal proceeding against the replier. 

Delivering judgment, Olajuwon held that the IGP should be committed to captivity and detained for a period of three months, or until he obeys the order. 

“ It's unfortunate that the principal enforcer of the law is one who has designedly refused to misbehave with the same law. It's important to state that obedience to orders of court is abecedarian to the good order, peace and stability of a nation, ” the judge held. 

“ It's a duty which every citizen, who believes in peace and stability of the Nigerian state, owes the nation and the court has a duty to commit the existent who has failed to carry out the order of the court for disdain, so as to help the authority and administration of law from being brought to discourteousness and to cover the quality of the court 

" The terms of the Orders of this Court are clear and unequivocal. This court Is satisfied that the replier( presently and those before him) has had proper knowledge of the Orders of this Court, there's no denial of similar knowledge and the damage of Forms 48 and 49. 

“ The replier filed a counter affidavit, was properly represented in court by different counsel, who stated how they had written several legal opinions which weren't attended to. 

" The turndown and failure of the replier to misbehave with the orders of this court has been proved in this case. The replier, in this case, the inspector- general of police, in the person of Usman Alkali Baba, is to be committed to captivity and detained in guardianship for a period of three months or until he has adhered the order of this court, made on the 21st October, 2011, in all effects that are to be performed, whichever period is shorter. 

still, the contemnor remains recalcitrant and still refuses to purify his disdain, he shall be committed for another period and until he purges his disdain," If at the end of the three months."