Lagos:A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos State, has mandated a substituted service of contempt of court documents to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede. This decision was made by Justice Dehinde Dipolu, who authorized the delivery of Form 48, the Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Order of Court, to the EFCC chairman through the commission’s Legal Department in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the court’s ruling followed an application by Mr. Ufoma Immanuel, Founder and Managing Director of Chappal Energies. Immanuel’s application was granted by Justice Dipolu after failed attempts to personally serve the Form 48 to Olukoyede. Immanuel’s counsel, Mr. C.U. Wogu of Tunji Braithwaite Law Partners, informed the court that these attempts were thwarted.
The case originates from an alleged disobedience of a court order by the EFCC and stems from a dispute involving control of Chappal Energies and shareholder rights. Immanuel was declared wanted by the EFCC in a public notice for allegedly obtaining money by false pretences and forgery, based on a petition by his business partner, Mr. Adebisi Adebutu of R28 Ltd. This declaration was made despite a previous order by Justice Josephine Obanor of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, restraining the EFCC from taking such actions against Immanuel.
Justice Dipolu had previously ruled that the EFCC’s publication infringed on Immanuel’s constitutional rights and ordered the commission to retract its declaration and compensate Immanuel. Despite these orders, the EFCC proceeded with criminal charges against Immanuel, leading to further legal proceedings and injunctions reaffirming the initial court orders.