A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, threatened to send a police prosecutor, Simon Lough, to prison for violating an order of the court.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in his ruling, held that it was obligatory on every person to obey orders of the court.
“This court stands to commit Mr Lough to prison custody for this blatant act of impunity and contemptuous disobedience,” the judge said.
The court also dismissed an application filed by the police seeking a stay of execution of an order, allowing Senator Ademola Adeleke to travel to the United States for medical check-up.
Justice Ekwo had on May 6 given Adeleke permission to travel to the US on May 7 for medical treatment and return on June 9.
But Ekwo ordered Adeleke to honour an invitation of the police on May 6 before traveling and restrained the police from arresting him.
The Police, however, in defiance of the order, arrested Adeleke when he honoured the invitation.
Adeleke was subsequently arraigned in a Magistrate Court in Mpape area of the Federal Capital Territory on five count charges, bordering on alleged false statement and forgery.
The police approached the court with an application praying it to stay execution of the ruling, pending hearing and determination of the appeal at the Court of Appeal.
The judge said there was nothing to stay as injunction was not normally granted over completed acts.
He added that by re-arresting Adeleke, the police had derailed the court’s authority, which he said was a condemnable act.
Ekwo dismissed the application for lacking in merit.
