On Tuesday, November 29, 2022, the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to three months in prison for disobeying a valid court order.
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“If at the end of the three months, the contemnor remains recalcitrant and still refuses to purge his contempt, he shall be committed for another period and until he purges his contempt.”
In a ruling by Justice M. O. Olajuwon, the court ruled that the IGP should be imprisoned and detained in custody for three months, or until he obeys an order issued by the court on October 21, 2011.
This comes as Mr Patrick Okoli, a police officer who was unlawfully and compulsorily retired from the Nigerian Police Force many years ago seeks justice.
Okoli filed a lawsuit, and the court recommended Okoli’s reinstatement into the police force, a decision that was upheld by the court. However, the IGP refused to comply with the order.
The IGP’s office is unconcerned about who holds the title. As a result, the IGP’s three-month sentence has nothing to do with Usman’s personal actions.
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The court also ordered that the Applicant be paid N10 million in special and general damages for the unlawful, illegal, and unconstitutional denial of his rights and privileges as a Senior Officer of the Nigeria Police Force from 1993 to the present.
