The High Court of Justice, Bauchi State, has formally issued a contempt notice (Form 48) directed at the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as well as the Head of Economic Governance (EG1), Mr. Dare Folarin, within the context of an ongoing litigation involving the commission and four petitioners.
A copy of the contempt notice, which was procured by our correspondent and dated March 12, 2025, explicitly cautions that failure on the part of the EFCC officials to adhere to the court’s directive will result in a finding of contempt and may lead to incarceration.
Barrister Ahmed Sani, representing the petitioners, elucidated that the court had promulgated an order prohibiting the EFCC from undertaking any actions against his clients—Aliyu Adamu and three others—pending the resolution of the lawsuit.
Nevertheless, despite having been duly served with the order and the initiating motion, Folarin is alleged to have contravened the court’s directive by persistently engaging in harassment, intimidation, and ultimately the arrest of Adamu.
“In a blatant act of defiance, the EFCC team, led by Mr. Dare Folarin, stormed our client’s office, seized documents, and arrested him, in clear violation of the court order,” Sani said. “This egregious abuse of power undermines our justice system and demands immediate attention.”
According to Sani, Folarin initially refused to accept service of Form 48 from the court bailiff, arguing that “the court cannot impede his work.”
The bailiff was eventually forced to serve him by throwing the court documents at him.
Sani further alleged that attempts to serve the EFCC Chairman with Form 48 were also met with resistance, as Folarin allegedly chased the bailiff out of the EFCC premises and threatened to detain him.
“The bailiff has since sworn an affidavit confirming service,” Sani added.
“If the EFCC and Mr. Dare Folarin continue to disobey the court, we will proceed with serving Form 49 and initiate contempt proceedings against them.”
He urged the EFCC to comply with the court order to avoid legal consequences.
