Court orders FG to serve Sen Misau

Andrew Orolua, Abuja

Federal Capital Territory (FCT), High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja on Monday ordered the Federal Government to serve Senator Isah Misau representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, with five count criminal charges it preferred against him.

The FG had last week preferred the five-count charge against Misau bothering on alleged injurious falsehood against Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and the Nigeria Police Force.

The Chief Judge of the Court, Justice Ishaq Bello gave the order after listening to the submission of the government prosecution counsel, Hadi Saleh in his chambers.

Saleh who led a team of lawyers from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), had asked for a warrant of arrest against Senator Hamman Isa Misau to facilitate his arraignment on the five-count charge filed before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), High Court, Maitama, Abuja.

Justice Bello asked the lawyer “why aare you asking for court summons when you are at liberty to serve him with the charge. Is the defendant invading service? . If he is invading service, the court needs to have particulars that he avoided service. So try and make efforts to reach him,” he ordered.

Mr Saleh said that in the circumstances, he needed a short adjournment.

Justice Bello said that he will allow him (the federal government) to come back on Thursday and that unless they come with particulars showing that the defendant invaded service, ” it is only then we can grant arrest warrant. It is only when you are unable to bring him voluntarily that the court can intervene.”

The charge upon which the federal government is seeking to arraign Senator Misau reads thus:

“That you, lsah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State, on or about August 10, 2017, at Abuja and other part of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court, did make a false statement of fact to wit: that police officers pay as much as two million, five hundred thousand naira (N2.5m) to get special promotion and posting through the Police Service Commission as published in the Daily Trust Newspaper dated August 10, 2017, knowing that such false statement of fact would harm the reputation of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotun ldris (the serving Inspector-General of Police), the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Service Commission and you thereby committed an offense.

“That you, Isah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State, on or about October 5, 2017, at Abuja and other part of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court, did make a false statement of fact to wit: that about ten billion naira (N10bn) is being received by the Inspector-General of Police on a monthly basis from oil companies, banks, hotels and individuals as bribes for police protection and that is why you see people of dubious characters with sirens in the country which said false statement of fact was aired in the Channels Television programme tagged ‘Politics Today’ on August 27, 2017, and published in the Daily Trust Newspaper dated October 5, 2017, knowing that such false statement of fact would harm the reputation of Mr. Ibrahim
Kpotun Idris (the serving Inspector-General of Police), the Nigeria Police.

“That you, lsah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State on or about January 28, 2011 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court, did utter a false document to wit: Affidavit in Support of Personal Particulars of Persons seeking election to the Office/Membership of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (INEC FORM C.F. 001/2011) which you submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission knowing it to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under the same section of the Act.

“That you, Isah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State, on or about December 16, 2014, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did utter a false document to wit: Affidavit in Support of Personal Particulars of Persons seeking election to the Office/Membership of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (INEC FORM C.F. 001/2015) which you submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission knowing it to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under the same section of the Act.

“That you, Isah Hamman Misau of Hamman Misau Residence, Turaki Street, Misau, Bauchi State, on or about December 15, 2014, at the Independent National Electoral Commission Headquarters, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did utter a false document to wit: a Statutory Declaration of Age deposed to at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on December 15, 2014, by submitting same to the Independent National Electoral Commission knowing it to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under the same section of the Act.”