E FCC Chairman Abdul Rasheed Bawa Sends To Prison For Disobeying Court Order

Justice R.O Ayoola of the Kogi State High Court has committed the EFCC Chairman, Abdul Rasheed Bawa for disobeying a Court Order. The Court also directed Inspector – General of Police to effect Bawa’s arrest and remind him in Kuje Prison for the next 14 days until he purged himself of contempt. In his judgement on Monday in Lokoja, Justice R.O Ayoola granted the application for committal to prison of the EFCC Chairman for disobeying a Court ruling delivered on November 30, 2022 in which the Court directed Bawa to produce the applicant in the case, Ali Bello. Ali Bello had dragged the EFCC Chairman to the Court for arresting and detaining him illegally, following an application by his counsel, S. A Abass. The Court was reported to have ruled in Alli’s favour only for the EFCC to arraign him for Money Laundering three days after the said ruling. The Court had in a form 49, Order IX, Rule 13, marked “HCL/ 697M/ 2022 and titled Notice to Show Cause Why Order of Committal should not be made” asked the EFCC Chairman to appear before it on January 18, 2023 to explain why he should not be jailed for flouting the order given on December 12, 2022 in a case filed by Ali Bello against the EFCC and Bawa as the 1st and 2nd respondents respectively. The Court ordered that the EFCC and Bawa be served the motion of notice together with form 49 by substituting means. The form 49 was issued on December 15, 2022 and addressed to Bawa, the EFCC Boss. The statement read “That the applicant will on the the 18th January 2023 a the hour of 9’O clock in the forenoon or so soon thereafter apply to this court for an for your committal to prison for having disobeyed the order of this Court made on 12th day of December, 2022. The arrest and detention of the applicant on 29th November, 2022 by the 1st and 2nd respondents in the face of a subsisting Court of Competent Jurisdiction and without a warrant of arrest or being informed of the offence for which he was arrested is unlawful, unconstitutional and contravenes the applicant’s right to personal liberty and dignity of human person guarantee under Chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended ) And Articles 5 and 6 of the African Charter on Human and People Right. Perpetual injunction restraining the Respondents, their agents, servants, privies, or however called from further arrest, detention, harassment and intimidation of the Applicant. The Court also ordered the the Respondents to tender an apology to the applicant in a National newspaper and awarded #10 million compensation to the complainant, Ali Bello.