Court orders arrest of Senior Police Officer in Niger for refusing service

A Minna High Court has ordered the arrest of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Mokwa Local Government of Niger state, DSP Wakili Inusa for refusing the service of court processes by bailiff.

The presiding Judge of High Court 4, Justice Mohammed Mohammed issued the bench warrant of arrest of the DPO on Wednesday.

According to the court balilff, Wakili Inusa refused to accept the court processes after ready through.

The case accordingly to the court processes, one Issyaku and other applicants are seeking the enforcement of fundamental rights to dignity of their persons, personal liberty, fair hearing, freedom of movement and right to bail.

The Respondents in the suit are listed as the IGP, DCP Bello of FIB Special Taskforce, DSP Wakili Inusa who is the DPO of Mokwa and Hamza Baba.

The applicants according to their Counsel, Philip Emmanuel have been incarcerated for almost three months by the police in Abuja after their arrest in Mokwa.

However Justice Mohammed Mohammed said the refusal of the DPO to receive the personal service of the court processes is an affront on the administration of criminal justice system.

He said, “As a law enforcement officer, the DPO is supposed to uphold the rule of law as done by the 1st and 2nd Respondents who are his superiors.

“This court cannot encourage such misconduct from anybody especially the 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 also ordered the immediate release of all the applicants in the matter.

Meanwhile, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), CSP Wakili Inusa has said that he refused to collect the court letter, “because I’m not the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) as addressed to me.

“I’m Chief Superintendent of Police ( CSP) by rank that was my reason of turning down the court letter”.

He said there is no any reason for him not to receive the letter if it was properly addressed to him, saying that as a police officer he is a respecter of the law that he has no any reason to disregard a High court letter.