Release Kwara Gov’s aide or risk imprisonment, court tells Police IG

A High Court sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital presided over by Justice Ibrahim Yusuf, has threatened to imprison the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idris Ibrahim, for alleged contempt of court proceedings.

The IGP was alleged to have disobeyed the order of the court to release Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed’s Personal Assistant on Political Matters, Mr. Olalekan Alabi.

The threat was contained in a Notice of Consequences of Disobedience of Order of Court (Form 48) dated 10 August, 2018.

The order, which was made available to journalists in Ilorin on Thursday, was signed by the Registrar of the Court and addressed to the IGP, Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Yusuf said, “Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in the order of the High Court of Justice of Kwara State delivered on the 1st of August, 2018, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”

Alabi has been in Police custody in Abuja since May 30, following his arrest over his alleged link to Offa banks robbery suspects.

However, Yusuf had, on Wednesday, 1 August, 2018, granted Alabi an interim bail after declaring that his continued detention was illegal and not justifiable.

While granting him an interim bail of N20m with two reliable sureties in like sum, Yusuf held that the Police had failed to justify why they had kept the governor’s aide in detention for over two months.

But despite the court order, the Police had refused to release Alabi from their custody.