2
The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, has been sent to the Abuja Correctional Centre (prison) for contempt of court.
A Federal High Court in the FCT presided over by Justice Jude Okeke gave the marching order on Thursday.
He was ruling on a motion drawn from a suit filed by Ummakalif Limited against Minister of the FCT, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), DG of NCAC, and the Minister for Culture and Tourism, as the first, second, third and fourth defendants respectively.
In the motion, the claimant sought an order of the court committing Runsewe to prison for contempt of court order made on December 15, 2017.Okeke described Runsewe’s action as highly ‘contemptuous’.
The judge said sentencing Runsewe to the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS) will serve as a deterrent to others who abuse office and disobey court orders with disdain.He ordered the Inspector General of Police to arrest Runsewe with immediate effect and hand him over to the NCS authorities until he retraced his steps.
The court had ordered parties in the suit to stay action on every activity concerning the demolition of the Arts and Craft village located in the Central Business District of the FCT.

