Contempt: Court Remands EFCC Chairman Bawa In Prison

A High Court sitting in Abuja has remanded the EFCC Chairman Bawa in prison custody following alleged obedience to a valid court order.

 

An Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama has ordered that the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, be remanded in prison custody, following his alleged disobedience to a valid court order.

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Newsonline reports that the conviction was in relation to the failure of the anti-graft agency to comply with a November 21, 2018 court order directing it to return a Range Rover and the sum of N40 million to the applicant in a suit.

In his ruling, Justice Chizoba Oji held that “The Chairman Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is in contempt of the orders of this honorable court made on November 21st, 2018 directing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abuja to return to the applicant his Range Rover (Supercharged) and the sum of N40, 000,000.00 (Forty Million Naira).

 

“Having continued wilfully in disobedience to the order of this court, he should be committed to prison at Kuje Correctional Centre for his disobedience, and continued disobedience of the said order of court made on November 21st, 2018, until he purges himself of the contempt.

“The Inspector-General of Police shall ensure that the order of this honourable court is executed forthwith.”

The ruling, which was delivered on October 28, 2022, was on a motion on notice marked: FCT/HC/M/52/2021 filed by a one-time Director of Operations at the Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Rufus Ojuawo.

Ojuawo had filed a motion through his lawyer, R.N. Ojabo, in a suit marked: FCT/HC/CR/184/2016 that the EFCC had refused to comply with the court order directing it to release his seized property.