The Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, has been sent to Correctional Center on the order of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Maitama over alleged refusal to obey court order.
Justice Jude Okeke, on Thursday, gave the order that Runsewe should be remanded in custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NSC) for allegedly disobeying subsisting court orders.
The court ruling followed a suit that a firm, Ummakalif Ltd filed against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Federal Capital Development Authority, the Director-General National Council for Arts and Culture, and the Minister for Culture and Tourism.
They were all cited as 1st to 4th defendants in a motion dated June 21, 2019, which the firm brought pursuant to Order 47 rule 10 subrules 1, 2 and 3 of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Civil Procedure Rules 2018.
Specifically, the motion of the claimant sought for an order of court committing Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the Director-General of the 3rd Defendant to prison for contempt of the order of court made on December 15, 2017.
Justice Okeke held that Runsewe’s refusal to obey a valid order of a court of competent jurisdiction was highly contemptuous. He held that committing him to a Correctional Center would serve as a deterrent to other public officers that abuse office and disobey court orders with disdain.
