IG to Appear in Court March 13 over Disobedience of Court Order on Peace Corps

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, thursday ordered the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to appear before him on March 13, and show cause why he should not be committed to prison for his disobedience to the court’s order made on March 26, 2014, which ordered the force from interfering with the activities of the Peace Corps.

The judge gave the order yesterday while delivering ruling on the application of the police seeking to stop the contempt charge brought against it by the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) over his alleged persistent flouting of court orders.

Justice Oriji also dismissed the preliminary objection raised by the Police Chief against his personal appearance before the court.
Idris, in his preliminary objection against the contempt charge argued by his counsel Mr. David Igbodo, claimed that he was not personally served with form 48 in relation to the contempt charge.

He prayed the court to void the contempt charge and set it aside on the ground that the form 48 summoning him to appear in court was served on the commissioner of Police in charge of legal matters at the Force Headquarters.

However, the court dismissed Idris’s submission, noting that it was a ploy to use technicality and delay tactics to frustrate the charge against him.

The Judge, in addition imposed a fine of N25,000 on him and ordered him to personally appear in court on the adjourned date.
The Peace Corps of Nigeria through its counsel Dr. Joshua Yakubu Musa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) had approached the Abuja High Court seeking committal of Idris to prison for two years for flouting the judgment of the court delivered on March 26, 2014.

He submitted that in spite of the restraining order against Police not to interfere with operations of the Corps, the police have refused to comply with the order by sealing up its head office among others.

Musa claimed that since March 26, 2014, when the judgment was delivered, the police have neither appealed against it nor allowed the rule of law to prevail.

In the 2014 judgment, Police was fined N12.5m as compensation for the principal officers and men of the Corps who were arbitrarily arrested across the country and detained in various cells.

The proscription order placed on the corps by Police was also voided and set aside by the court in the 2014 judgment on the grounds that the defendants (Police) have no power under the law to ban or proscribe any organisation, including the Peace Corps lawfully registered by the federal government as a youth organisation.

Only recently, Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, also ordered the police to unseal the Peace Corps Headquarters in Abuja, following a contempt charge filed against the police by a former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Kanu Agabi SAN on behalf of the Pea