.png)
5 days ago
12
Featured
September 11, 2025 by Eric Ikhilae, Abuja
An Abuja-based lawyer, Ridwan Abdulwahab was on Thursday ordered to be remanded in Kuje prison following his arraignment on charges bordering on perjury and defamation of character.
Magistrate Musa Sadiq of the Chief Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone Six, Abuja issued the order in a ruling in which he rejected an oral application for bail made by Abdulwahab’s lawyer, Kalat Jatu.
Abdulwahab, described as the Head of Legal Department of the EcoBank in the Northern Region, was arraigned on a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the police in the name of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
He was accused of giving false information on oath and defaming the character of Justice Charles Agbaza of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
IGP alleged that Abdulwahab deposed to an affidavit in which he gave false information in the bid to block his bank from releasing N228.4M judgment debt awarded against the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the judgment creditor, Vision Kam Jay.
In the said deposition, Abdulwahab allegedly claimed that the writ of execution used to effect implementation of agl garnishee absolute order issued against EcoBank, ordering the release of the judgment creditor was not signed by Justice Agbaza.
The debt arose from a judgment got against ECOWAS by a firm, Vision Kam Jay, following a dispute over contractual disagreement.
Read Also: Court jails man for stealing 35 tubers of yams in Ondo
In the FIR, the IGP said the EcoBank complied with the garnishee order absolute by paying the judgment debt into the firm’s account in 2020 but the bank immediately placed a “Post No Debt” (PND) on the same account, making it impossible for the owner of the fund to access it.
In protest, the firm filed a direct complaint against Abdulwahab, accusing him of giving false evidence. The complaint was later referred to the Assistant Inspector General of Police AIG, Zone 7 for investigation and report.
In its report, the AIG Zone 7 found that contrary to the claim of the accused person, the writ of execution for garnishee absolute, was dully signed by Justice Agbaza before the court order was enforced.
The police found that the writ used for the enforcement of the judgment was signed by Justice Agbaza of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in compliance with orders of courts.
The lawyer was said to have made the false deposition in sympathy with ECOWAS and as a ploy to block the judgment creditor from accessing the fund.
He was then charged with perjury contrary to sections 158 and 392 of the Penal Code, laws of Northern Nigeria.
Abdulwahab pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him on Thursday, following which his lawyer made oral application for bail, which the prosecuting lawyer, Bale Nimnan objected to .
Ruling, Magistrate Sadiq ordered the defence lawyer to file a formal bail application, ordered the remand of the defendant in prison and adjourned till October 7.
English (US)