Court voids order to arrest EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa

Why the court annulled the arrest order: Justice Chizoba Oji of the court set aside the order after hearing an application brought by the EFCC chairman.

The court found that at the time the order was made, the EFCC chairman was not in contempt of court as he had complied with the order that the respondent’s Range Rover be released and by several internal memoranda, the applicant had initiated the commission’s internal mechanism to ensure the payment of the sum of N40,000,000 to the respondent.

In a ruling, the court held that “the Chairman Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is in contempt of the orders of this honourable court made on November 21st 2018 directing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abuja to return to the applicant his Range Rover (Super charge) and the sum of N40, 000,000.00 (Forty Million Naira)."

What happened:  Recall that the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja during the week, ordered that Bawa be committed to Kuje correctional centre for contempt of court, pending the setting aside of the order.

What you should know: Bawa never went into custody, despite the court order. Yesterday, Human Rights Writers Association, in raising an alarm, wondered why Bawa, who should have been at a correctional centre, was still functioning and signing official documents as the Chairman of the agency against the court order.