The Federal High Court in Lagos State has summoned the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, over a judgment of N200m against the Nigeria Police Force.
The court, in a February 13, 2020 order by Justice C.J. Aneke, said Emefiele and four others must appear in court on February 20 to explain why they should not be sent to prison for alleged contempt of court.
Those summoned alongside Emefiele are CBN Director of Legal Services, Mr Akinwunmi Johnson; Mr Olusegun Bolaji and MK Gbenro Adetona.
The court granted the plaintiff, Mr Ibrahim Kabiru, a leave to commence contempt proceedings against them.
Kabiru, through his lawyer, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, had accused Emefiele and others of frustrating the execution of a N200m judgment, which he secured against the Nigeria Police Force in November 2016.
Kabiru, on behalf of his family, had filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the police following the “gruesome extrajudicial” killing of his next-of-kin, Waheed Kabiru, by the police in 2015.
The Federal High Court in Lagos, on November 1, 2016, entered judgment in favour of the deceased’s family and ordered the police to pay them N200m as damages for the extrajudicial killing of Waheed.
To get the money, the family initiated a garnishee proceeding at the end of which Justice Aneke, on April 9, 2019, gave them the go-ahead to take the money from the account of the Nigeria Police Force with any bank.
The Central Bank of Nigeria was joined as a garnishee in the proceeding.
