…anti-graft agency appeals
Justice Chizoba Oji of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT0, Abuja has ordered that the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, be remanded in prison custody, following his alleged disobedience to a subsisting court order.
The EFCC boss was pronounced guilty of contempt for his refusal to return a Range Rover Sport (Super Charge) vehicle valued at N40 million, which the commission seized from a former Director of Operations at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Rufus Adeniyi Ojuawo.
The court had, in an order made since November 21, 2018, ordered the Commission to return the exotic vehicle to AVM Ojuawo, who was on trial.
AVM Ojuawo was arraigned on a two-count charge in 2016, before trial Justice Muawiyah Baba Idris of the High Court of the FCT at Nyanya, for allegedly receiving N40 million and a Range Rover Sport, from one Hima Aboubakar of Societe D’Equipment Internationaux Nigeria Limited.
However, following a separate proceeding the defendant initiated against the commission, the high court, in 2018, ordered that the seized vehicle be returned to him. But four years after the order was made, counsel to the defendant, Mr. R.N. Ojabo, drew attention of the court to the fact that EFCC had yet to comply with it.
It was based on the above development that Justice Orji ordered the arrest and remand of the EFCC chairman over his wilful disobedience to an extant order of the court.
“The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is in contempt of the orders of this honourable court made on November 21, 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.
“Having continued wilfully in disobedience to the order of this court, he should be committed to prison at Kuje Correctional Centre for his disobedience, and continued disobedience of the said order of court made on November 21, 2018, until he purges himself of the contempt,” Justice Orji held.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, said the commission has appealed the contempt of court rulings against him.
“Well, we have appealed against it, so we allow the natural course of law to take its effect,” he told journalists on the sidelines of budget defence at the House of Representatives, yesterday
Bawa also said the commission has appealed to the National Assembly for more funding to enhance its operations.
He made the appeal when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance Crimes for the defence of the agency’s 2023 budget proposals.
The EFCC boss said the commission needs more for funds for the completion of its academy amongst other capital projects.
Bawa noted that in line with extant rules, the EFCC have opened an account for confiscated and forfeited properties.
“We have opened that, and of course, we are remitting all that belongs to the Federal Government into that account. Of course, other victims of crimes are being paid based on the recoveries that were made on their behalf.
“Yes of course, that is it. We are building a brand new EFCC Academy and we need funding for that. Last year N3 billion was allocated and this year nothing was allocated for it, and that is why we are pleading to members that we need to have this new EFCC Academy because of course we have to learn, as fighters of crime we have to be ahead of these criminals and the only way you can do that is by training and re-training and re-training and re-training again. It can never end.
“Of course we have a very purposeful 9th National Assembly that we have a very good working relationship with them. I believe that, they are going to heed to our request.”
