A Kogi High Court sitting in Lokoja on Friday ordered the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede, to appear before it on May 13 to show why he should not be committed for allegedly disobeying its order.

Justice I.A. Jamil of High Court IV gave the order while ruling in Suit No: HCL/68M/2024 and Motion No: HCL/190M/2024, brought before him by ex-Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi in Lokoja.

“The said act was carried out by the Respondent (EFCC) in violation of the order, which was valid and subsisting when they carried out the act.

“That same act of the respondent amounts to contempt, ” the judge said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the EFCC boss is facing a contempt charge for allegedly carrying out “some acts upon which they (the EFCC) have been restrained” by the court on Feb. 9, pending the determination of the substantive originating motion.

EFCC operatives had on April 17 laid siege on the residence of the former governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, in a bid to arrest him, in spite a court order restraining them from taking such action, pending the determination of the originating motion.

Justice Jamil’s order was based on a motion ex-parte filed by Yahaya Bello through his lawyer, M.S. Yusuf.

Bello prayed the court for an order to issue and serve the respondent (EFCC Chairman) with Form 49 Notice to show cause why Order of Committal should not be made on Olukoyede.

“The Judge, after listening to the arguments of the applicant’s counsel, the submission and exhibits attached in the written address, granted Bello’s prayers and ordered Olukoyede to be summoned to appear before the court to answer the contempt charge.

“The applicant’s application before me is to the effect that the respondent has carried out some acts upon which they have been restrained by this court on Feb. 9, pending the determination of the substantive motion on notice before this court.

“That the said act was carried out by the respondent in violation of the order which was valid and subsisting when they carried out those acts. That same act of the respondent amounts to act of contempt.

“It’s against the above facts that this Court hereby grants the prayers sought in line with the principle of “Audi Ultra Patem” (listen to the other side).

“This matter is adjourned to May 13 for the respondent’s chairman to appear before this court in answer to form 49 ordered to be served on him,” the Judge said. (NAN)

Nkwuda Vincent, a 42-year-old man and native of Ndiogbu in the Ndieze community in the Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has allegedly slit his cousin’s throat, Mr Nkwuda Chukwuka, for demanding some branches of a tree, which fell on their family land.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Monday, the penultimate Monday, when the suspect, Mr Nkwuda Vincent, an Assistant Catechist of St Samuel Station Ndiogbu in Ndieze autonomous, cut down a tree standing on the boundary of their land.

According to the victim, Mr Chukwuka, who spoke to our correspondent on Friday in his hospital bed at Sudan Missionary Hospital Iboko in the council area, trouble started when he met his cousin, Mr Vincent, on the family land cutting some branches of trees.

He explained that the suspect had briefed him that his father had asked that they cut down the tree so that it would be used to stake their yam.

Narrating his ordeal, “It was on the weekend that I went to our land, where I met my cousin cutting sticks from a particular tree. Seeing that the tree was standing on our own land, I enquired about who had asked him to cut down the tree.

“According to Mr Vincent, it was my father’s directive. When I inquired further about an equal share of the stick, he retorted aggressively, resulting in an exchange of words.

“When it became obvious that he was planning to attack me with the cutlass, I used a log of wood to defend it and to my chagrin, he landed the cutlass on my throat, which is by the grace of God that I survived.”

The victim, who said he had no premonition of such unruly behaviour from his cousin, called on family members and community leaders to investigate the matter to ensure justice and penalise the suspect.

“I’m happy. I am alive to tell the story and believe that both of us are owned by the community and family, who should ensure that justice is done on the matter and punish the offender for serving as a deterrent to anybody trying such aberration in the future.

Confirming, one of the family members, Mr Nkwuda Jude, described the incident as horrific, adding that they are still treating the victim to ensure that he recovered from an injury sustained during the attack.

While clarifying the family’s stand, Mr Jude noted that the matter had been reported to the security agents, adding that the Iboko Divisional Police Station had equally taken records of the incident and reiterated that the offender would be punished according to the tradition of the people.

Meanwhile, efforts to speak with the accused person had proved abortive, as his phone number was switched off as of Friday when this report was filled out.

Also, the Ebonyi Command of the Police Force said an official report had yet to be received to that effect.

The Command’s spokesman, DSP Ukandu Joshua, said he would contact our correspondent after confirming the incident from the Police Divisional Officer in the area.