Court Sentences Inspector General Of Police To Prison
Court has sentenced the inspector general of police in Nigeria to prison for three months Usman Baba, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), was given a three-month jail term for defying a court order by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja. Justice Olajuwon gave the decision in response to a lawsuit brought by Patrick Okoli, a former police officer, who claimed he was forcibly and illegally retired from the Nigeria Police Force. The affidavits used to support the lawsuit state that the applicant (Okoli) was forced to resign in June 1992. On February 19, 1994, a Bauchi High Court rendered a decision in favour of the petitioner and revoked the letter of obligatory retirement after he challenged his forced retirement. The petitioner must be reinstated with full rights and benefits, the supreme court said. In a letter dated October 13, 2004, the Police Service Commission (PSC) instructed the then-IGP to restore the applicant and make a recommendation for promotion in compliance with the court’s ruling. In order to compel the implementation of the Bauchi High Court’s ruling and the PSC’s instructions, Okoli filed a lawsuit at the Abuja Federal High Court with the case number FHC/ABJ/CS/637/2009. On October 21, 2011, the Federal High Court in Abuja rendered a decision in the applicant’s favour. The court’s decision was challenged by the IGP office, but the appeal was denied. In order to further enforce the order, the applicant wrote to the IGP’s office and approached the Federal House of Representatives. The applicant requested the Festus Keyamo legal firm to begin a committal procedure against the respondent after all other attempts to do so had failed. Olajuwon, who gave the ruling, said that the IGP should be brought to jail and imprisoned there for three months, or until he complies with the order. The main law enforcement has purposefully chosen not to follow the same legislation, which is disappointing, the court stated. It is crucial to stress that adhering to court rulings is essential for maintaining a country’s good order, peace, and stability, the judge said.