A Federal High Court sitting in Minna, Niger state, has ordered the arrest and imprisonment of Farouk Yahaya, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), for contempt.
A warrant of arrest was also issued against Olugbenga Olabanji, commandant of the training and doctrine command, Minna, over the same offence.
Justice Halima Abdulmalik, who issued the warrant and presided over the case, said the order followed notice brought before the court in pursuant of order forty two rule ten of the Niger State High Court Civil Procedure 2018.
The order was issued in respect of a suit marked NSHC/225/2019.
The suit is between Adamu Makama and 42 others versus the executive governor of Niger state and seven others.
The motion for the issuance of the warrants was moved by Mohammed Liman, counsel to the plaintiffs/applicants.
Liman had prayed the court to send the army chief and commandant to the correctional centre for disobeying an order made on 12 October, 2022.
Ruling on the application, Halima Abdulmalik, the presiding judge, said: “An order is made committing the Nigerian army chief of staff , General Farouk Yahaya and the Commander Training and Dotrine Command (TRADOC) Minna i.e. 6th &7th respondents into the custody of the correctional centre for contempt of the order of this honourable court made on the 12/10/2022.”
The judge added that “they shall remain in the custody of the correctional centre until they purge themselves of the contempt.”
The case has been adjourned to 8 December, for continuation.
Recall that on Tuesday, a federal high court in Abuja sentenced Usman Baba, the inspector-general of police, to three months in prison for disobeying a court order.
Mobolaji Olajuwon, the presiding judge, issued the ruling on Tuesday, following a suit filed by Patrick Okoli, a former police officer who claims he was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigerian police force.
Similarly, an FCT high court ordered the remand of Abdulrasheed Bawa, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for contempt.
However, the order was later set aside.
On 29 November, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja sentenced the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to three months in prison for disobeying a court order.
The IGP’s committal followed a suit that was filed by a police officer, Patrick Okoli, who was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigerian Police Force.
The court also ordered the payment of N10 million to the applicant, being special and general damages for the unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional denial of his (Patrick’s) rights and privileges as a Senior Officer of the Nigeria Police Force from 1993 till date.
