[size=14pt]Contempt Of Court: Attorney-General, IG, CP Face Imprisonment[/size]
Written by Chizoba Ogbeche, Abuja
Monday, 08 February 2010 19:11

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, alongside the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ogbonna Onovo and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Police Commissioner, John Haruna, may be incarcerated for disobeying an order of the FCT High Court.

Hon. Justice Othman Musa, had on January 8, 2010, in a case instituted by the incorporated trustees of Peace Corps of Nigeria and four others against the trio for illegally clamping down on the organisation, ordered that status quo before the October 1, 2009 invasion of the Corps headquarters in Abuja be maintained pending the determination of the motion on notice.

For failing to obey the order, the respondents are to appear in person before the court, on February 16, 2010 to show cause why order of committal to prison should not be made against them.

LEADERSHIP
checks revealed that the corporate headquarters of the organisation had remained closed and under the surveillance of men of the FCT Police command not withstanding a separate judgment by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on January 28, 2010 to the contrary.

The court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar, had ruled that the clamping down on the activities of the Peace Corps of Nigeria and its members, or purported suspension of its activities by the State Security Service (SSS), is illegal, unconstitutional, null, void and of no legal effect whatsoever.

Similarly, the court ruled that the harassment, molestation, intimidation, arrest and detention of members of the Corps were unlawful, illegal and an aberration of their fundamental right to dignity of their persons and personal liberty.

Attempts to get the reaction of the Force Headquarters was unsuccessful as the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, was unavailable, but the FCT Command's Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, said they will not honour the court order.

http://leadershipnigeria.com/index.php/news/headlines/11747-contempt-of-court-attorney-general-ig-cp-face-imprisonment