- Kogi State High Court directs EFCC Chairman Olukoyede to appear on May 13, 2024, to address contempt allegations
- Former governor Yahaya Bello accuses EFCC of breaching court order, seeks contempt charges against EFCC Chairman Olukoyede
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has been directed by a Kogi State High Court in Lokoja to appear before it on May 13, 2024, to address allegations of contempt of court.
Justice I. A. Jamil issued the order on Thursday following an ex-parte motion filed by former governor Yahaya Bello through his lawyer, M.S. Yusuf, Esq.
According to Bello’s counsel, EFCC operatives purportedly besieged the ex-governor’s residence on April 17, 2024, in defiance of a court order restraining such actions pending the resolution of the Originating Motion.
In response, Bello sought an order to serve the EFCC Chairman with a Form 49 Notice, compelling him to justify why he should not face contempt charges.
Considering the submissions and exhibits presented, Justice Jamil granted Bello’s request, asserting that the EFCC allegedly breached a court order issued on February 9, 2024, by conducting actions prohibited by the said order.
In his April 25, 2024 ruling, Justice Jamil stated, “The Respondent has carried out some acts upon which this Court has restrained them… That same acts of the Respondent amounts to acts of contempt.”
Consequently, Justice Jamil ordered Olukoyede to appear before the court on May 13, 2024, to address the allegations, mandating the service of Form 49 on him.
The matter, heard in Suit No: HCL/68M/2024 and Motion No: HCL/190M/2024, has been adjourned for the EFCC Chairman’s defense.