Somtochukwu

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu to appear before it in relation to a contempt proceedings initiated against him.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, in a ruling, ordered the IGP to among others, appear before the court on February 4 this year to show cause why he should not be penalised for refusing to honour a subsisting judgment of the court.

“An order of this honourable court is hereby made mandating the Inspector General of Police to appear before this honourable court on the 4th day of February 2021 at 9am to show cause why a contempt proceedings should not be taken against the Inspector General of Police for refusal to obey the judgment of this honourable court in this matter, which judgment was affirmed by the Court of Appeal,” the judge said.

Justice Ojukwu made the order in a ruling on January 16, 2021, a copy of which The Nation sighted on Wednesday. The judge gave the ruling following a Form 49 filed against the IGP by Patrick C. Okoli, in the suit marked: ABJ/CR/637/2009.

The judge equally ordered that the summons be promptly served on the IGP preparatory to the hearing scheduled for February 4, 2021.

Okoli stated, in an affidavit supporting the Form 49, that he was unlawfully and compulsory retired from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on June 16, 1992 pursuant to Decree No: 17 of 1984.

The applicant said he challenged the decision at the High Court of Bauchi State, which voided his retirement and ordered his reinstatement in a judgment given on February 9, 1994 in the suit marked: BA/48M/93.

Okoli added that, based on the judgment, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Senate Committee on Police Affairs and the Head of Service of the Federation, wrote the IGP to comply with the judgment.

He stated that the Police Service Commission (PSC) also wrote the IGP on three occasions on the need to comply with the judgment.

The applicant added that, based on the IGP’s conduct, he again sued at the Federal High Court in Abuja in suit: FHC/ABJ/CS/637/2009 to compel the IGP to obey the pending judgment.

“The Federal High Court in Abuja delivered its judgment in favour of the applicant (Okoli) on October 21, 2011.

“The respondent (the IGP) appealed against the said judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, but the Court of Appeal, in its wisdom, struck out the appeal.

“Notwithstanding the striking out of the notice of appeal, the respondent maintained his position not to enforce the pending Federal High Court judgment,” he said.

Okoli added that the IGP has equally ignored further interventions by the PSC and the House of Representatives, a development that informed his decision to initiate the contempt proceedings.

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