By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The legal tussle between Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, former governor of Imo State, and a businesswoman, Ms. Chinyere Amuchienwa-Igwegbe, took another turn on Wednesday as a High Court in Imo moved to commit eight people to prison for contempt.
Court documents obtained by TheNiche on Thursday indicated that the Registrar of the High Court of Imo State had on Wednesday, November 4, 2020 issued a ‘Show Cause Notice of Committal to Prison’ to the Nigeria Police Force, Force Intelligence Bureau, Commissioner of Police, Imo State, Deputy Commissioner of Police Kolo Yusuf, Superintendent of Police Mohammed Yusuf, both of whom were officers of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit in Abuja known as Special Tactical Squad (STS).
Others are Tuesday Osayemo, Commissioner of Police Legal, whose address was provided as the Legal/Prosecution Section, Kafaru Tinubu House, Abuja, and two other lawyers in the same department, Stanley Nwodo and Orji N. Kanu. Ms. Amuchienwa-Igwegbe, the nominal complainant in the originating matter that led to the notice of committal, was also included in the summons.
On September 10, 2020, Ohakim secured a restraining order against the Nigeria Police Force, its agents and Ms Amuchienwa-Igwegbe on an application for the enforcement of his fundamental rights.
The order which was made by Justice V. Onyeka of Imo High Court 13, which was also obtained by TheNiche, was reportedly duly served on all the parties.
According to court records, Ohakim’s move to enforce his fundamental rights was necessitated by Ms. Amuchienwa-Igwegbe’s several petitions against him, including one she brought at the Lagos Command of Nigeria Police Force and another one at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The restraining order reads: “That all parties in this Suit are hereby Ordered to maintain the status quo and should not do anything in connection with the subject matter and should stay all action whatsoever pending the determination of the substantive Motion in this Suit.”
Ohakim’s angst is that despite the restraining order which was duly served on the respondents, the Nigeria Police Force, acting through the accused officers on the alleged prompting of Ms. Amuchienwa proceeded to file charges against Ohakim on September 21, 2020, eleven days after the High Court issued the injunction.
A source close to Ohakim told TheNiche that the former governor was not only irked that the Charges which were never served on him were widely published in several newspapers but also the subsequent summons for his arraignment on November 11, 2020 was also widely publicised.
These were the grounds for the contempt charge which led the Imo High Court to issue the Notice of Committal to DCP Kolo Yusuf and others.
The notice reads: “Take notice that the plaintiff will on the 10th day of november 2020, at the hour of 9 o’clock in the forenoon apply to this court for an order for your committal to prison for having disobeyed the order of this court made on the 10th day of September 2020, which stated, ‘That all parties in this suit are hereby ordered to main the status quo and should not do anything in connection with the subject matter and should stay all action whatsoever pending the determination of the substantive motion in this Suit.‘
“Which order you disobeyed by drafting and filing and/or otherwise causing the drafting and filing of Criminal Charges against the Applicant at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on 21st September, 2020.
“And take further notice that you are hereby required to attend the court on the first-mentioned day to show cause why an Order for your Committal should not be made.”
TheNiche gathered that the committal proceedings may be set for next week before Justice G. Chukwunyere, sitting in Imo High Court 11, where Ohakim’s substantive matter was already pending before this latest development.
