A High Court sitting in Lokoja the Kogi State capital on Monday ordered the arrest and remand of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, in prison for contempt of court.
In her ruling, Justice Rukayat Ayoola ordered that Bawa be picked up and remanded in Kuje prison for disobeying a court order.
Ayoola also called on the Inspector General of Police to ensure compliance because the EFCC boss committed contempt of court.
The judge ruled that the EFCC Czar should be remanded for the next 14 days.
In her ruling, the judge granted an application for Bawa to be remanded in prison because he disobeyed a court ruling delivered on November 30, 2022.
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The anti-corruption boss was directed to produce an applicant in a case, Ali Bello.
Counsel to the applicant, Sumaila Abbas, had dragged Bawa to court for arresting and detaining Bello illegally, with the court ruling in his favour, only for the EFCC to arraign him for alleged money laundering three days after the ruling.
But, EFCC’s applications for setting aside and stay of execution of the ruling were refused for want of merit.
In another development, a federal high court in Abuja has discharged Rochas Okorocha, former Imo state governor, of the N2.9 billion fraud charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Delivering a ruling on Monday, Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, struck out the EFCC’s suit for contravening section 105 (3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, which gives the honorable attorney-general of the federation (HAGF) the power to recall a case.
In a letter dated September 12, 2022, Abubakar Malami, the HAGF, directed the commission to forward the case file as well as the commission’s comments on the issue for review.