Court issues arrest, imprisonment warrant on Nigeria’s Army Chief

“An order is made committing the Nigerian army chief of staff general Farouk Yahaya and the commander training and doctrine command (TRADOC) Minna i.e 6th &7th respondents into the custody of the correctional centre for contempt of the order of this honourable court made on the 12/10/2022. They shall remain in the custody of the correctional centre until they purge themselves of the contempt.”

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Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Farouk Yahaya

A Minna, Niger State High Court has issued a warrant of arrest for General Faruk Yahaya, Chief of Army Staff for contempt.

Justice Halima Abdulmalik, who presided over the case, said the order followed notice brought before the court in pursuant of order 42 rule 10 of the Niger State High Court Civil Procedure 2018.

She also issued a warrant of arrest against Major-General Olugbenga Olabanji, Commandant of the Training and Doctrine Command, Minna, over the same offence.

The presiding judge held, “An order is made committing the Nigerian army chief of staff general Farouk Yahaya and the commander training and doctrine command (TRADOC) Minna i.e 6th &7th respondents into the custody of the correctional centre for contempt of the order of this honourable court made on the 12/10/2022. They shall remain in the custody of the correctional centre until they purge themselves of the contempt.”

The order was issued in respect of a suit between Adamu Makama and 42 others versus the Governor of Niger State and seven others.

The motion for the issuance of the warrants was moved by Mohammed Liman, counsel to the plaintiffs/applicants.

Liman had prayed the court to send the Army Chief and Commandant to prison for disobeying an order made in October.

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This follows brandpowerng earlier reports that on November 29 a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja sentenced the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to three months in prison for disobeying a court order. The IGP’s committal followed a suit that was filed by a police officer, Patrick Okoli, who was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigerian Police Force.

The court had also ordered the payment of N10 million to the applicant, being special and general damages for the unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional denial of his (Patrick’s) rights and privileges as a Senior Officer of the Nigeria Police Force from 1993 till date.

It remains to be seen if the latest judicial order will be executed as the previous two orders are yet to be enforced.