A Federal High Court, Abuja has berated the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for refusing to obey an order directing its armed officials to vacate a disputed Abuja property. 
  
The trial judge, Musa Liman cautioned that “disobedience to a court order is injurious to the rule of law and can lead to anarchy.”  The court had on May 16, 2025, ordered the EFCC to vacate the residence of a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), High Chief Ikechi Emenike, situated at House 6, Aso Drive, Asokoro, Abuja. 
  
Relying on the strength of the application filed by Emenike through his counsel, Obi Nwakor, Justice Liman reversed an earlier ex-parte order granted by the court on March 27, 2025, by which the appellant was unlawfully evicted from the property by the EFCC. 
  
In his application, Emenike had informed the court that the anti-graft agency failed to disclose that he had occupied the property for over 10 years and had been paying rent before the anti-graft agency said it had recovered it from the proceeds of corruption. 
  
He further told the court that there was a subsisting judgement from a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that granted him a Right of First Refusal for the sale of the property after it held that the EFCC had no legal right to keep any forfeited property to itself for whatever use.
  
The court, in the said judgement, declared that the only option the law gave the EFCC was to sell the property and remit the proceeds to the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA).It ruled that the commission should grant the plaintiff the Right of First Refusal as a sitting tenant.

The plaintiff told the court that, despite the EFCC agreeing to re-evaluate and sell the property to him after a meeting with its former chairman, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, the anti-graft agency later decided to keep the property for itself.
  
Emenike alleged that instead of appealing against the judgement of the high court, the agency filed an ex-parte order before another court where it secured an eviction order it relied upon to throw out his family and take possession of the house.
  
After an appraisal of his application, Justice Liman voided the earlier ex-parte order and directed the EFCC to immediately vacate the property.  The court equally directed that the order be served on the chairman of EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede, by pasting it on the walls and gate of the premises. 
The court lambasted the anti-graft agency for securing an ex-parte order in its favour through misrepresentation and concealment of material facts.   It, therefore, ordered its bailiffs to unlock and restore the plaintiff to his residence.
  
However, when the bailiffs went to enforce the order, armed EFCC operatives bluntly refused to comply and even threatened to shoot the court officials.
  
The court had to once again try to enforce the order with the support of the FCT Police Command, but met another resistance from the EFCC operatives.
  
Piqued by the development, Justice Liman, in a ruling on June 20, 2025, accused the EFCC of treating an order of the court with disdain.  He held that the court would no longer hear any application by the anti-graft agency until it purged itself of the contemptuous act. 
  
Justice Liman declared: “The law is no respecter of any person. If order of the court can be treated with disdain by an agency of the government, then there will be nothing left but for persons to take law into their own hands.
  
“Disobedience to a court order is injurious to the rule of law and can lead to anarchy.  Where a party has refused to obey court order, the court cannot exercise discretion in favour of such a party.
  
“Therefore, this court will deny the applicant further audience till it purges itself of the contempt.”  Justice Liman held that the May 16 order of the court which directed that Emenike should be allowed access into his Abuja residence remained extant.
  
Consequently, Justice Liman declined to hear a motion on notice the EFCC filed for stay of the execution of the judgement in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1123/2021, which was in favour of Emenike. 
  
Following the latest court ruling, High Chief Emenike has filed contempt proceedings against the EFCC chairman for alleged disobedience of a court order at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
  
Emenike’s application is asking the court to commit the EFCC boss to prison on account of his alleged disobedience of court order to restore him to the property.
 
 Responding, Dele Oyewale, spokesman of the EFCC denied the allegations of disobeying the court order on the said property.  He claimed that neither the EFCC chairman, nor Francis Usani, the commission’s counsel, were served any contempt order.  He also noted that a stay of execution concerning the court’s June 16, 2025 order is currently pending.