A high court sitting in Minna, Niger state, has ordered the arrest and imprisonment of Farouk Yahaya, chief of army staff (COAS), for contempt.
A warrant of arrest was also issued against Olugbenga Olabanji, commandant of the training and doctrine command, Minna, over the same offence.
The order was issued in respect of a suit marked NSHC/225/2019.
The suit is between Adamu Makama and 42 others versus the executive governor of Niger state and seven others.
The motion for the issuance of the warrants was moved by Mohammed Liman, counsel to the plaintiffs/applicants.
Liman had prayed to the court to send the army chief and commandant to the correctional centre for disobeying an order made on October 12, 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.”
Recall that on Tuesday, a court in Abuja on has sentenced the police chief to three months in prison for disobeying an earlier order to reinstate an officer who has waged a lengthy battle to get back his job.
Patrick Okoli has been fighting his forced retirement since 1992.
He finally won in 2011, when a court ordered his reinstatement.
But with the order not heeded, the High Court has now come down hard on the police chief, Inspector General Usman Alkali Baba.
It has ruled that he should either go to jail for contempt of court or reinstate the officer.
