An Abuja-based lawyer, Ridwan Abdulwahab, has been ordered to be remanded in Kuje prison after being arraigned on charges of perjury and defamation of character. The ruling was issued by Magistrate Musa Sadiq of the Chief Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone Six, Abuja.
Abdulwahab, identified as the Head of Legal Department of EcoBank in the Northern Region, was arraigned on a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), accusing him of giving false information on oath and defaming the character of Justice Charles Agbaza of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
The FIR alleged that Abdulwahab provided false information in an affidavit to prevent his bank from releasing a N228.4 million judgment debt awarded against the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the judgment creditor, Vision Kam Jay. The debt stemmed from a dispute over a contractual disagreement.
According to the police report, Abdulwahab claimed that the writ of execution used to enforce the garnishee absolute order against EcoBank was not signed by Justice Agbaza. However, investigations revealed that the writ was indeed signed by Justice Agbaza as required by court orders.
The lawyer was charged with perjury under sections 158 and 392 of the Penal Code, laws of Northern Nigeria. Although Abdulwahab pleaded not guilty, the Magistrate denied the oral bail application made by his lawyer, Kalat Jatu, and ordered the defendant to be remanded in prison.
The case has been adjourned till October 7, with the defence lawyer instructed to file a formal bail application. The prosecutor, Bale Nimnan, opposed the bail application during the hearing. The lawyer’s alleged actions were described as a scheme to prevent the judgment creditor from accessing the awarded funds.
