The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has prayed the Federal High Court FHC), Abuja to commit the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, to prison for failure to comply with its order.
The IMN also urged the court to sentence the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of National Hospital, Abuja, Dr Jafaru Momoh, to imprisonment over the refusal of the duo to release the corpses of the free-Zakzaky protesters in their custody.
The Secretary, Academic Forum of the Islamic Movement, Abdullahi Muhammad Musa, disclosed this in a statement made available to the media on Friday in Abuja.
He said following the IGP and the CMD’s non-compliance with the order of the FHC made by Justice Taiwo Taiwo on July 29, 2020, the group had decided to approach the court to ask for a committal proceeding against the duo.
“We would like to inform the public that FORM 48 contempt and disobedience to court order proceedings has been filed at Federal High Court Abuja against the Inspector General of Police and Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital Abuja.
“In the form, our counsel inform the court that up to the time of filling the court process, the duo refused to obey the court judgement delivered by the court on 29th June, 2020, which ordered for the release of the corpses of free-Zakzaky protesters killed by the police at Federal Secretariat, Abuja,” he said.
According to Musa, the public are aware that on Monday, 22nd July, 2019, police officers attacked a free-Zakzaky protest and opened fire on the protesters which led to the killing of 14 protesters, 1 unknown person, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and a Journalist with Channels TV.
“After the incident, the police evacuated corpses of the slain protesters, deposited 4 at National Hospital and 2 at Asokoro District Hospital. Though some of the protesters were able to take away 6 slain people.
“The police arrested many protesters and detained them at SARS with neither medication nor feeding. While under custody, 3 protesters died, and again the corpses were moved to Asokoro District Hospital, making it 5 thereat in toto.
“In summary, up to this moment, there are 4 corpses at National Hospital Abuja and 5 at Asokoro District Hospital,” he said
Musa said that all efforts to take the corpses from the police proved abortive.
“And reliable information has it that they are hiding them to avoid being exposed as killers of the Deputy Commissioner of Police and the journalist, upon whom the police put aside postmortem to fend themselves off giving away any forensic evidence in favour of the Islamic movement.
“However, due to the obstinate refusal of the police to release the corpses, we instituted legal proceedings against them and the hospital with which they conspired.
“Unfortunately, despite a Federal High Court judgement delivered on 29th June, 2020 in favour of their release, up to this moment, the police continue to withhold them,” he said.
He stated that In the judgement, Justice Taiwo declared the killing of free-Zakzaky protesters “by the agents of the Nigeria Police Force on the 22nd of July, 2019 as illegal, unconstitutional and amount to gross violation of their fundamental rights to life as enshrined in section 33 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
“The court also ordered the Inspector General of Police to pay the sum of N15,000,000 to the families of the slain protesters. Moreover, the Court ordered the Chief Medical Director, National Hospital Abuja, to release the corpses of the protesters deposited at the Hospital by the police.”
According to him, our prayer on the contempt of court proceedings is that the Federal High Court should declare both the Inspector General of Police and CMD, National Hospital Abuja guilty of contempt of court and sentence both of them to imprisonment.
