A Federal Federal Capital Territory High Court has convicted Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for contempt of court.
The conviction concerned his agency’s failure to comply with an earlier court order.
Justice Chizoba Oji of the FCT High Court ruled that Bawa was in contempt of the order of the court made on November 21, 2018, directing the commission to return to an applicant his Range Rover (super charge) and the sum of N40 million.
She also ordered that he should be committed to prison at Kuje Correctional Centre Abuja for his disobedience and continued disobedience of the said order until he purges himself of the contempt.
Justice Oji further directed the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to ensure that this court order is executed forthwith.
The judge rejected the arguments put forward by the lawyer to the EFCC, Francis Jirbo, to justify his client’s action.
The ruling delivered on October 28, a Certified True Copy (CTC) which was sighted by Channels Television, was on a motion on notice marked filed by Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Rufus Adeniyi Ojuawo, a one-time Director of Operations at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
Ojuawo had, in the motion, complained that the EFCC declined to comply with the order for the release of his seized property made by the court in a judgment delivered on November 21, 2018.
