Judge warns he can order army to arrest Inspector General of Police as woman presses contempt charges over disobedience of court order

A Federal High Court judge in Abuja has warned that she could order the Chief of Army Staff to arrest Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun over his alleged disobedience of a court judgement.Justice Binta Nyako issued the warning during a hearing in contempt proceedings initiated by Nnenna Anozie, whose husband, John Anozie, was abducted in June 2017 by police officers attached to the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).John Anozie has not been seen since he was taken from his home in Lagos by SARS operatives who reportedly travelled from Awkuzu in Anambra State. For more than eight years, his wife has sought answers through the courts and the #EndSARS judicial panel of inquiry.Over the years, Mrs Anozie has secured several rulings ordering the police to produce her missing husband and hold the implicated officers accountable. In September 2025, Justice Nyako directed the IGP to produce the officers involved and multiple case files linked to the matter.According to Mrs Anozie, the police failed to comply with that order, prompting her to initiate contempt proceedings seeking the committal of the IGP to prison.At Tuesdays hearing, her lawyer, Vincent Adodo, outlined what he described as repeated acts of disobedience by the police. He told the court that Forms 48 and 49, the required processes for commencing contempt proceedings, had been served on the IGP.Despite the avalanche of evidence, the IGP refused to produce the perpetrators, Mr Adodo told the court, adding that the case files could be forwarded to the Attorney General of the Federation for action. He also noted that Mrs Anozie had travelled from Lagos to attend the hearing.Counsel to the IGP, Stanley Nwodo, said he had only received Form 48 and argued that there was confusion regarding the identities of the implicated officers. Justice Nyako dismissed the argument, stating that the existence of a valid judgement was the central issue.Signalling her willingness to enforce compliance, the judge said she had no problem granting an order to commit the IGP. If I must do that, I will ask the Chief of Army Staff to arrest him. I will not ask the police, she said.Ordinarily, the police are responsible for executing arrest orders. However, the judge indicated that directing the Army might be necessary given the circumstances.She then offered two options: to proceed with the contempt case since the IGP had not complied with the courts order, or to convene a meeting in her chambers with the parties to discuss a solution. If the latter option was chosen, she said she would personally communicate any resolutions to the Attorney General of the Federation.Mrs Anozies lawyer expressed concern that similar letters had been written in the past without yielding results. The judge responded that there was a difference between correspondence from counsel and one issued by the court.She added that jailing the IGP might not resolve the matter, suggesting that a solution-focused approach could be more effective.After a brief consultation, the IGPs counsel agreed to the in-chambers meeting. The judge directed the parties to liaise with the court registrar to fix a date and adjourned the case until April 23, by which time the meeting is expected to have taken place.John Anozies disappearance has been cited as one of the many alleged abuses attributed to the defunct SARS unit, which was widely accused of extortion, torture, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Public outrage over such allegations culminated in the nationwide #EndSARS protests of October 2020, after which the unit was disbanded and judicial panels of inquiry were established in several states.According to court filings, the officers implicated in the Anozie case include Anthony Obiozor Ikechukwu, Uzochukwu Emeana, John Eze, also known as T Boy, and Sunday Okpe. Some of them are reportedly retired.In a motion filed in December last year, Mrs Anozie accused the IGP of failing to comply with the September 2025 order. After serving Form 48 without response, she proceeded with Form 49, which requires an alleged contemnor to show cause why they should not be committed to prison.Her application sought the committal of the IGP to Kuje prison in Abuja until he complies with the courts order. However, Tuesdays development may temporarily pause the contempt proceedings pending the outcome of the proposed meeting in chambers.The post Judge warns he can order army to arrest Inspector General of Police as woman presses contempt charges over disobedience of court order appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.