Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday ordered the service of the warrant of release issued in favour of two Nigerians detained by Police since October 5, 2021, on the Inspector General (IG) of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami and four others.

The order of service was sequel to the refusal of the police to obey the order of the court on the release of the detainees.

Justice Ekwo had on November 5, 2021 ordered the IGP, the AGF, Joseph Egbunike (DIG) and the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja to immediately release one Jude Osuhor and Happiness Edifie who have been in custody at the FICID, Abuja since October 5 this year.

However, as at yesterdays proceedings, the detainees were still in custody without a valid court order or charges filed against them.

When the matter was called, detainees' lawyer, Mr Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), drew the court's attention to the federal government's refusal to comply with its order.

Okutepa, who sounded bitter, complained to the court that the IGP and other respondents in the fundamental rights enforcement suits by his clients had been served with the court's November 5 release order, but that they have disregarded the order.

He said although the case was adjourned for hearing, the respondents refused to obey the court's order to release the two detainees and also refused to appear in court.

"The order of this court was served on the respondents since November 5, the IGP has refused to release them. We have applied for From 48 to initiate contempt charge against him and commit him to prison.

"I don't know why the IGP and DIG, would turn themselves into Executive sabotage of court order.

"I want to apply for the court to order the IGP to come here and show cause why he should not be sent to prison for disobeying court order."

In a short ruling, Justice Ekwo said he would rather give the IGP and other respondents the opportunity to obey the court's order and come to defend the case pending against them.

"I am minded to make an order to give the respondents ample time to comply with the court order and to enable them appear in court to defend the pending cases," the judge said.

He then ordered the court's Deputy Registrar, Litigation to bring to the notice of the IGP and other respondents the pendency of the suits and "the order of this court made on November 5."

The judge then adjourned till December 8 for hearing.

In the two suits marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1289/2021 and FHC/ABJ/CS/1290/2021, the applicants are challenging their continued detention by the respondents over their alleged complicity in the death of one Vivian, said to be wife of Mr Osuhor.

Named as respondents in both cases are the IGP, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), DIG Joseph Egbunike, Ms. Loveth Edifie, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja and the AGF.

Jude Osuhor and Happiness Efifie were arrested in Lagos on October 2, 2021 by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPFy from the FCID in Abuja.

Happiness is the immediate younger sister of the deceased and had lived with her late sister and her husband for years in their Lagos home.

According to court documents, Jude and Happiness were transferred from Lagos to Abuja on October 4 and were initially granted bail on October 5, 2021.

They returned to Lagos after administrative bail granted them by the police, but were re-invited by DIG Joseph Egbunike of FCID, Abuja on October 5 and have since then been held in police custody in Abuja.

The action of the Police was based on the compliant of one Loveth Efifie, another sister to the diseased.

However, family members of the diseased had in another letter to the Police accused Loveth of embarking on a vendetta mission as she has not been in speaking terms with the deceased and other members of the family for years even until Vivian's death.

They further accused Vivian of using her said connection with people in high places to torment her late sister's husband as well as her own younger sister.

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