…As Police Disobeys Court Order, Detains Accused At Ex-SARS Facility
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, tbe Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has granted bail to an embattled crypto-currency entrepreneur, Obol Jesam Michael, after spending three weeks in police net.
The presiding judge, Hon. Justice M.A Madugu, before granting the crypto entrepreneur bail, stated that when the case for the enforcement of the defendant’s fundamental rights came up in court, the police failed to produce or show cause why he should not be granted bail.
Accordingly, the court ordered that the crypto entrepreneur to be released forthwith without any form of re-arrest by the police.
The suit was marked No: FCT/HC/CV/14/2025 and motion No: FCT/HC/BW/M/139/2025 between Obol Jasam Michael (the applicant) and the Nigeria police Force, the Inspector General of Police, DCP Okezie Chikezie (Anti-Fraud Section, FCID), Ezekiel Okporante Stella, Chinenye Onigbe, the IGP Monitoring Unit and five others (as respondents).
The order dated February 19, 2025 reads, “Upon reading the motion on notice along with accompanying affidavit of Florence Michael Ubo, including written address and exhibit filed along with the application.
“And upon hearing E. A. Esin (Esq), with Sam John Usani counsel to the claimant, the court hereby restrained the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th respondents from re-arresting and detaining Obol Jesam Michael without recourse to the court.
“The court also ordered the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th respondents from re-arresting and detaining Obol Jesam Michael without recourse to the court.”
But in a swift reaction to the issue, counsel to the respondent, Obono Obla, stated that the order to release the applicant had accordingly been served on the Inspector General of Police and all the police officers involved in the matter, but they refused to obey it.
He said, “The police in a fragrant demonstration of lawlessness rather took him to the headquarters of the EFCC and sought to hand him over to the EFCC in a desperate bid to frustrate the execution of the order to release him forthwith.
“But, the EFCC authorities refused to take over the matter and made it clear to the police that it should obey the court order to release him.
“The police then removed Jesam Michael from their detention facility in Maitama, where he had been kept for the past three weeks to their facility in the former SARS, where he is still being kept despite the order of the court that he should be released.”
Obla further alleged that sureties produced by the applicant to facilitate his client’s bail were chased away by the police, even though the sureties met the bail conditions.
Reacting to the issue in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, the investigating police officer, IPO, one CSP Mohammed stated that he is not in the right position to speak to the press on the issue, adding that there are other superior officers of the Force who have the authority to speak on the matter and respond to media enquiries.
