Court orders IG’s arrest, detention
Court orders IG’s arrest, detention
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA—AN Abuja high court, has , ordered the arrest of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonaya Onovo, for allegedly refusing to comply with a court summon over an unlawful detention of two police corporals, Onyebuchi Eze and Kenneth Chikwe.
Justice Olukayode Adeniyi who issued the bench warrant, also ordered all the law enforcement agencies in the country to comply with the directive, adding that he should be detained in prison custody till
September 2, when the substantive case was adjourned to.
The Abuja high court had, ab-initio, ordered the police boss to personally appear before it, yesterday, to
show cause why he should not be committed to prison for allegedly violating four separate court injunctions, allegedly served on him on August 9, 12, 18 and 20, 2010, with regards to the continued detention of the two accused persons.
The two policemen, alongside one Mr. Austine Duru, were on October 7, 2009, arrested by operatives of the State Security Services, SSS, at Owerri, the Imo State capital, for allegedly collaborating with suspected kidnappers in Anambra State and were subsequently transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Though the accused persons are yet to be arraigned before a competent court over the alleged crime since they were arrested in 2009, a human rights organization, the International Human Rights Initiative, however, took the case to court after the first accused, (Onyebuchi Eze), was said to have developed appendicitis while under detention and was denied medical attention by the police.
The rights body applied to the court for an order directing the Police to grant him conditional bail to
enable him go for a surgery, a request that was acceded to by the high court.
Consequent upon failure by the police authorities to comply with the bail order, Justice Adeniyi on August 20, ordered Onovo to appear before him, to explain why the court’s order was not respected.
While issuing the bench warrant, Justice Adeniyi maintained: “Nobody, no matter how highly placed is permitted to hold the court to contempt. This should further show the world that law is no respecter of persons irrespective of position.
“I hereby order the arrest of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonaya Onovo for disobeying the orders of this honourable court and all law enforcement agencies are hereby directed to take notice of this order. He should be arrested and kept in prison custody until he purges himself of the contempt.”
The case was further adjourned till September 2.
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA—AN Abuja high court, has , ordered the arrest of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonaya Onovo, for allegedly refusing to comply with a court summon over an unlawful detention of two police corporals, Onyebuchi Eze and Kenneth Chikwe.
Justice Olukayode Adeniyi who issued the bench warrant, also ordered all the law enforcement agencies in the country to comply with the directive, adding that he should be detained in prison custody till
September 2, when the substantive case was adjourned to.
The Abuja high court had, ab-initio, ordered the police boss to personally appear before it, yesterday, to
show cause why he should not be committed to prison for allegedly violating four separate court injunctions, allegedly served on him on August 9, 12, 18 and 20, 2010, with regards to the continued detention of the two accused persons.
The two policemen, alongside one Mr. Austine Duru, were on October 7, 2009, arrested by operatives of the State Security Services, SSS, at Owerri, the Imo State capital, for allegedly collaborating with suspected kidnappers in Anambra State and were subsequently transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Though the accused persons are yet to be arraigned before a competent court over the alleged crime since they were arrested in 2009, a human rights organization, the International Human Rights Initiative, however, took the case to court after the first accused, (Onyebuchi Eze), was said to have developed appendicitis while under detention and was denied medical attention by the police.
The rights body applied to the court for an order directing the Police to grant him conditional bail to
enable him go for a surgery, a request that was acceded to by the high court.
Consequent upon failure by the police authorities to comply with the bail order, Justice Adeniyi on August 20, ordered Onovo to appear before him, to explain why the court’s order was not respected.
While issuing the bench warrant, Justice Adeniyi maintained: “Nobody, no matter how highly placed is permitted to hold the court to contempt. This should further show the world that law is no respecter of persons irrespective of position.
“I hereby order the arrest of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonaya Onovo for disobeying the orders of this honourable court and all law enforcement agencies are hereby directed to take notice of this order. He should be arrested and kept in prison custody until he purges himself of the contempt.”
The case was further adjourned till September 2.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Agu Isaiah Igwebike on
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I had never heard of country where the judicial is supportive of criminals to extent that they are not ashamed like Nigeria. Ask for the release of a man who deserve death is tantamount to treasonable felony. That lawyer who asked for the arrest and detention of IG of police need to arrested and detained for collaboration with the kidnappers as their counsel. The innocent or otherwise of the suspects is questionable but the truth is that they where caught at odd place suspicious of the offence. Lawyer should learn to be sincere and not logical. Mr lawyer use your teeth to count your tongues.
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Permalink Reply by Emmanuel Kpudas on
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can issue like this be seriuos in Nigeria? Let's wait and see what comes out of these
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Permalink Reply by Wilfred Ogoma CHIME on
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Congraturations to the learned judge. He has really ordered well. I wish him well, and also wish that he shall have a first hand experience in the hand of kidnappers for him to know when not to embarrass the nation. If police is keeping one of their own in custody, there must be a reason. Police has a DIG incharge of investigation, and a commissioner of police directly incharge of any department in the FCID.Non of them is high enough to be summoned; but the IGP. The judge should have simply summoned the president of the country who hired the IGP to explain why some kidnap suspects are in police custody. Any judicial officer whose stock- in-trade is to frustrate the efforts of Nigerians towards curbing the menace of kidnapping shall not end well.
Mgbo tupu ya isi.
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Permalink Reply by Onu. Anedo on
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Wilfred Ogoma CHIME said:Congraturations to the learned judge. He has really ordered well. I wish him well, and also wish that he shall have a first hand experience in the hand of kidnappers for him to know when not to embarrass the nation. If police is keeping one of their own in custody, there must be a reason. Police has a DIG incharge of investigation, and a commissioner of police directly incharge of any department in the FCID.Non of them is high enough to be summoned; but the IGP. The judge should have simply summoned the president of the country who hired the IGP to explain why some kidnap suspects are in police custody. Any judicial officer whose stock- in-trade is to frustrate the efforts of Nigerians towards curbing the menace of kidnapping shall not end well.
Mgbo tupu ya isi.
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I think the it's time the IG orde3r the arrest of the suspects lawyer and the stupid judge that took bribe in order to effect the release of enemies of the society. They have questions to answer regarding kidnapping in Nigeria, probably more of their kinds may surface.
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Permalink Reply by Wale Salau on
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Wifred, it is not right to condemn a judge the way you did, I am not in support of any party on this issue, one thing I want you to know is that a judge will not base his decision just on public opinion but on the weight of evidence before him.
You wish the judge to have first hand experience of kidnapping, but let us look at it this way, assuming the detained officers knew nothing about the case or may be they were even the ones preventing kidnapping in the area which made some of their colleagues uncomfortable and therefore resolved to frame them up, will you still maintain same position on it?
Kidnapping is a dangerous menace from which the judge himself has no immunity, we should all fight it but that does not mean that a judge should quickly condemn an accused in order to create sensation, due process should be observed.
Wilfred Ogoma CHIME said:Congraturations to the learned judge. He has really ordered well. I wish him well, and also wish that he shall have a first hand experience in the hand of kidnappers for him to know when not to embarrass the nation. If police is keeping one of their own in custody, there must be a reason. Police has a DIG incharge of investigation, and a commissioner of police directly incharge of any department in the FCID.Non of them is high enough to be summoned; but the IGP. The judge should have simply summoned the president of the country who hired the IGP to explain why some kidnap suspects are in police custody. Any judicial officer whose stock- in-trade is to frustrate the efforts of Nigerians towards curbing the menace of kidnapping shall not end well.
Mgbo tupu ya isi.
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Permalink Reply by chuuma ib on
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Some of you sound as if you're not aware that Nigeria's inneficient Police often parade innocent people in order to score cheap points. I never said that some police men police dont connive with criminals. My point is that the Judge's Judgement should be obeyed whether he was right or wrong. Highly placed individuals have for too long flagrantly disobeyed court orders in this country. I may have been hasty in mentioning low mentality which am sorry about..., but as for asking me to watch my back...an all the other stuff you mentioned..., i leave that for you to decide.
Nkem Eli said:@ Chukwuma, if you are the one that send that cop to be part of the kidnap tell us so that we shall look for you ,, this era is not for a child s play,,the time for stone age has by far gone,,The IGP is not mad to refused that access for his medical attention but if you Chukwuma can promised us that if he is released to you, he will not escape please look for me and stop abusing the authority.look before you leap,, watch your back,, control your lip,avoid evil communications,with my low mentality i will not fail to tell you that words are like bullets, when you release them they can not come back. For high mentality like you, do you want the Nigeria IGP to be imprison or jailed because that COP,.Tell us please,,listen a person character is like pregnancy ; it cannot be hidden. think about it.
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Permalink Reply by Jones Okiah on
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The IG does not know he is playing with fire. If the Judge is worth his salt, he will sentence the IG to just some months in prison for court contempt and I bet you the whole country will be questioning why a convict can still be an IG. Sure, if the Judge sentences Onovo, It will be his end and he will go to Jail after being removed from his position. Onovo better knows he is playing with fire.
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Permalink Reply by Kalu Joseph Okafor on
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Is Justice Adeniyi angling for the position of the chief justice of the Federation in the next political dispensation and try cheap publicity? If not, why did he not start with the commisioner of police in the state where those detained were arrested. What if the IG has not even got information about the detention? Why must Justice Adeniyi bug down the IG who should not be distracted considering the level of crimes in Nigeria. These are the same so called judges that have stalled the prosecution of alleged looters by the EFCC with their funny injunctions and dragged petitions on elections held in 2007 till now. Justices like Adeniyi should do a soul search to know if they deserve that title.The judiciary is a known to have lost much of its integrity by habouring lazy, incompetent and corrupt characters.
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Is Justice Adeniyi angling for the position of the chief justice of the Federation in the next political dispensation and trying cheap publicity? If not, why did he not start with the commisioner of police in the state where those detained were arrested. What if the IG has not even got information about the detention? Why must Justice Adeniyi bug down the IG who should not be distracted considering the level of crimes in Nigeria. These are the same so called judges that have stalled the prosecution of alleged looters by the EFCC with their funny injunctions and dragged petitions on elections held in 2007 till now. Justices like Adeniyi should do a soul search to know if they deserve that title.The judiciary is a known to have lost much of its integrity by habouring lazy, incompetent and corrupt characters.
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Permalink Reply by jimmie jones on
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Maybe this is a Nollywood movie plot. I read somewhere the IG laughed it (the court order) off.
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I guess he's not worth it.
Jones Okiah said:The IG does not know he is playing with fire. If the Judge is worth his salt, he will sentence the IG to just some months in prison for court contempt and I bet you the whole country will be questioning why a convict can still be an IG. Sure, if the Judge sentences Onovo, It will be his end and he will go to Jail after being removed from his position. Onovo better knows he is playing with fire.
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