Justice Halima Abdulmalik of the High Court Sitting in Minna, the Niger State Capital, has ordered that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Faruk Yahaya, should be arrested for contempt.
The court also ruled that the Commandant Training and Doctrine Command, Minna, Major General Olugbenga Olabanji should be arrested over the same offense.
The order was issued in respect of a suit marked NSHC/225/2019 which is between Adamu Makama and 42 others versus the executive governor of Niger state and seven others.
Justice Abdulmalik ruled that the order is commuting Yahaya and Olabanji to be kept in Minna correctional custody for contentions of order of this court on 12 October, 2022.
Ruling on the application, Halima Abdulmalik, the presiding judge, said: “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.”
The judge added that “they shall remain in the custody of the correctional centre until they purge themselves of the contempt”.
READ ALSO: Driver Dies As Truck Crashes Into Lagos Bridge
Justice Abdulmalik then adjourned the case to December 8 for continuation.
This is the third high-profile contempt ruling in weeks.
Recall that in November, Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court, Abuja sentenced the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba to three months in prison for disobeying a court order.
Delivering ruling, Justice Olajuwon issued the order following a suit filed by a former police officer, Patrick Okoli who claimed he was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigeria Police Force.
Also in November, Justice Chizoba Oji of a High Court Abuja convicted the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa for contempt and ordered that he should be committed to prison at Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja.
The judge held that Bawa was in contempt of the order of the court made on November 21, 2018, directing the commission to return to an applicant, his Range Rover and the sum of N40 million.
However, Justice Oji in a subsequent ruling set aside the conviction of Bawa after hearing an application brought by the EFCC chairman.