By Onyinyechi Amakaulo
A serving commissioner of police, and another accused standing trial in a High Court are at the verge of being jailed over failure to comply with Court Order.
The Police Commissioner, and one Samuel Okoro, otherwise known as Sampado were ordered to be put behind bars for failure to comply with earlier order of the court.
Trumpeta learnt that a Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki Ebonyi State capital, has on the 20th May 2022, issued arrest order to jail the Attorney General and Minister of Justice (AGF) Inspector General of Police (IGP) Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State and Mr Samuel Okoro (Sampado) for not complying with the directive of the Federal High Court and not applying against the judgment.
In a judgment presided over by Hon Justice M.L Abubakar on the 18/15/2017, against the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, the Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police Ebonyi State and Mr Samuel Okoro (Sampado) the respondents were committed to prison (Federal Correction Service) Abakaliki for failure to comply with court order as presided by order 14 from 4 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009.
The court order suit No FHC/AI/CS/42/2014 reads that “for Human Rights Abuse on the applicants by the defendants/respondents who arrested and detained the plaintiffs/applicants and their members with their property to wit (Sing post, motorcycle among others) without food for about 16 days in their inhuman police cell without charging them to court after 24 hours as prescribed by law.
In the ruling of the judgment, the court ordered the defendant/respondent to pay the sum of N2,000,000,000 and release their properties. In the judgment the judge ordered that Commit the Respondents particularly the third and forth (sic) Respondents to prison for failure to comply with the Court order.
That the Court may order the Respondents to be brought before this Court upon an order of this Court for the purpose of being committed to the Abakaiiki Federal Prisons for contempt of Court that is to say for non compliance for the order of Court made on the 18th day of May, 2017 and take notice that Form 4 of the Appendix to the Rules shall be applied and relied upon in this application.
Any other order or orders the Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.
Speaking on the matter, counsel to the plantiffs I.G Nwachukwunta (Esq) claimed that when the defendants/ Respondents failed to honour the courts judgment and order, a bench warrant for the arrest of the Commissioner of Police Ebonyi State and Samuel Okoro (Sampado) was issued by the court at counsels application.
The counsel to the Defendants/Respondents, Nwachukwunta said averred that it has become a huge disappointment and complete disrespect on the court for the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to neglect or fail to honour and obey the court judgment for nearly five years.
Barr, Nwachukwunta noted that BELIE Human Rights Initiative is an international organization, that is law abiding known only for fighting human rights and protecting their father land.
He added that Biafra struggle is to liberate themselves against a common enemy who wants to destroy their land and take over their God given inheritance adding that the BELIE Initiative will continue to protect their land against any common enemy who is trying everything possible to take what belongs to them as he called on the court to make sure that justice is saved in their case.
