The Federal High Court in Awka, Anambra State, has set aside its order sacking the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba.
The court upheld the right of Alkali to a fair hearing as enshrined in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution which was not guaranteed by the plaintiff in his application.
It said it was convinced by the depositions of the court bailiff that the IG was not served the originating summons.
Justice Fatun Riman reversed the court’s earlier judgment following an application by IG’s counsel, Abdullahi Abdulhakeem Ago, against a previous ruling in favour of a plaintiff, Okechukwu Nwafor.
The IG asked the court to set aside the judgment because the subject matter had been determined by another Federal High Court presided over by Justice J.K. Omotosho in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/31/2023.
The police chief also alleged that the court should quash its judgment due to non-service of the originating processes on him.
The court upheld the arguments of the police IG in a 17-page ruling on June 15, 2023.
Riman said a court could reverse its judgment where there was a fundamental error.
