Lawal: Court approves notice of imprisonment against Magu

A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Mpape, FCT, has issued a notice of committal action against the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu over alleged disobedience of court order. Magistrate Okeagu Azubuike on Friday endorsed Form 48, ‘Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Order of Court’ against Magu after the […]

A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Mpape, FCT, has issued a notice of committal action against the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu over alleged disobedience of court order.

Magistrate Okeagu Azubuike on Friday endorsed Form 48, ‘Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Order of Court’ against Magu after the EFCC failed to comply with an order of court on December 1 to release Na’im Lawal.

“Take notice that unless you obey the order of court contained in the ruling of the court discharging the expired remand warrant issued by the honourable court and ordering the release of the applicant to his freedom on the 1st of December, 2016, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to committal to prison,” the judge stated in the order.

Lawal, a businessman was arrested by EFCC operatives on October 14, 2016 in Katsina over allegations of conspiracy, theft of government money, money laundering and obtaining under false pretence.

At the expiration of the remand after 14 days, counsel to Lawal, Barrister Abdulhamid Mohammed, applied to the court to make an order discharging him from custody or for EFCC to charge him to court.

In his ruling on December 1, Magistrate Azubuike directed EFCC to “release the applicant to his freedom or arraign the applicant to court that has appropriate jurisdiction, if the respondent has any allegation against him under the law.”

Following the failure of the anti-graft agency to obey the latest order, the judge endorsed committal action against Magu.

However, Abdulhamid alleged that officials of the anti-graft agency on Friday denied court bailiffs access to serve the committal processes on Magu in person as required by law.

“We have taken some steps to serve Magu in person but the officials at the commission are frustrating our efforts. We are going to return to court to apply to serve him by substituted means,” he said.