A Minna High Court in Niger State has ordered the arrest of the Divisional Police Officer of Mokwa Local Government Area, DSP Wakili Inusa, for allegedly refusing to accept a court summons served on him by bailiffs.
The DPO was said to have refused to accept the summons after reading through it.
The presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Mohammed, issued a bench warrant for the DPO arrest on Wednesday.
This followed a suit filed by one Issyaku and other petitioners at the High Court seeking the enforcement of their fundamental rights to dignity of their persons, personal liberty, fair hearing, freedom of movement, and right to bail.
The respondents in the suit include the Inspector-General of Police, DCP Bello of the FIB Special Taskforce, DSP Wakili Inusa, the DPO of Mokwa, and Hamza Baba.
Philip Emmanuel, counsel to the applicants, told the court that his clients had been incarcerated for almost three months by the police in Abuja after their arrest in Mokwa.
Justice Mohammed held that the refusal of the DPO to accept the summons was an affront on the administration of the criminal justice system in the state.
He noted that as a law enforcement officer, the DPO is supposed to uphold the rule of law, as done by his superiors, the IGP and DCP Bello.
He added that the court could not encourage such misconduct from anyone, especially a law enforcement officer.
“In view of the above, bench warrant is hereby issued against Wakili Inusa, DPO Mokwa, to be brought to this court forthwith,” he said
The judge therefore ordered the immediate release of all the petitioners involved in the case.
