A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Maitama, on Thursday, ordered that the Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, should be remanded in a Correctional Centre.
Justice Jude Okeke remanded Runsewe in custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCS, for allegedly disobeying subsisting court orders.
The court ruling followed a suit that a firm, Ummakalif Ltd filed against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Federal Capital Development Authority, the Director-General National Council for Arts and Culture, and the Minister for Culture and Tourism.
They were all cited as 1st to 4th defendants in a motion dated June 21, 2019, which the firm brought pursuant to Order 47 rule 10 subrules 1, 2 and 3 of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Civil Procedure Rules 2018.
Specifically, the motion of the claimant sought for an order of court committing Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the Director-General of the 3rd Defendant to prison for contempt of the order of court made on December 15, 2017.
Otunba Segun Runsewe Justice Okeke held that Runsewe’s refusal to obey a valid order of a court of competent jurisdiction was highly contemptuous.
He held that committing him to a Correctional Center would serve as a deterrent to other public officers that abuse office and disobey court orders with disdain.
