A High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Maitama, Abuja, has ordered the arrest of an Abuja-based lawyer, Victor Giwa, and a police officer, Inspector Edith Erhunmuuse, for repeatedly failing to appear in court over an alleged N300 million illegal eviction case.
Justice Samira Bature gave the order on Friday.
The judge expressed concern over the tactics deployed by the lawyer and the police officer, saying the absence of the two defendants showed clear attempts to delay the case and disrespect the court.
At the resumed hearing, the Federal Government’s lawyer, Aderonke Imana, told the court that the case was filed in January 2023 but had been delayed because the defendants kept failing to appear in court for arraignment.
She said that, despite several adjournments, the defendants had not appeared, and urged the court to apply relevant laws to compel them to attend proceedings.
“It is unfortunate that the 2nd and 3rd defendants are absent again today. This case has followed a consistent pattern of delay, particularly by the 2nd defendant, who had even accused the Attorney-General’s office of stalling the trial,” she said.
However, the lawyer representing the second defendant, Ogbu Aboje, opposed the request. He told the court that his client was ill and had submitted a medical report.
He also mentioned pending applications before the court, including one filed on February 2, 2026, and asked the court to ignore the prosecution’s request.
The prosecution insisted that arraignment is a key step in any criminal case and argued that the court cannot consider any applications until the defendants are formally charged.
In her ruling, Justice Bature agreed with the prosecution, noting that the case had been pending for nearly two years without arraignment due to the defendants’ actions.
“I have carefully gone through the records of this court and the series of letters and medical reports submitted. I am in agreement with the prosecution that these are mere delay tactics, particularly by the second defendant, who, as a legal practitioner, ought to know better,” the judge said.
She added that although the court had earlier shown patience, including refusing previous requests to issue an arrest warrant because the second defendant is a lawyer, the continued absence left the court with no other option.
Courts are not for play; they are for serious business. The defendants have repeatedly failed to appear for their arraignment and have shown disregard for the authority of this court,” she said.
The judge also explained that the court cannot properly handle the case until the defendants are arraigned, making all pending applications premature.
The court then granted the prosecution’s request and issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the two defendants. The case was adjourned to April 29, 2026, for arraignment.
