The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, sitting at Court No. 7, Maitama, Abuja, has convicted Immaculata Nkiruka Ikenwankwor, a United Kingdom-based Nigerian radiographer, for criminal contempt of court and sentenced her to 22 months’ imprisonment.
The ruling was delivered on July 2, 2026, by Justice O. A. Musa in Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/1392/2026, involving Johnmary Chukwukasi Jideobi, Esq. as Applicant/Judgment Creditor and Ikenwankwor as Respondent. The respondent was described in the court documents as a Nigerian medical professional employed as a radiographer with Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom and registered with the UK Health and Care Professions Council.
The court held that Ikenwankwor was guilty of criminal contempt by reason of her “willful, deliberate, and continuous disobedience” of earlier orders made on April 2, 2026, particularly orders relating to asset disclosure and preservation of electronic evidence.
The earlier orders followed a Global Mareva Order made against the respondent’s assets. The court had directed her to disclose on oath, within seven days, all her worldwide assets, including bank accounts, movable properties, employment income and real property. She was also ordered to preserve electronic communications, digital records, recordings, messages, documents and data relating to the applicant or the subject matter of the suit.
The court further restrained her from deleting, altering, concealing, encrypting, transferring or tampering with any electronic data, communications, recordings, messages, images or digital materials connected to the matter. She was also directed to file an affidavit confirming full compliance with the electronic evidence preservation and disclosure orders within 14 days.
According to the ruling, the orders were duly served on the respondent, but she failed to comply, filed no counter-affidavit, entered no appearance and remained unrepresented despite being given an opportunity to be heard.
Justice Musa noted that the respondent’s conduct went beyond a civil breach and had become criminal contempt because asset disclosure and evidence preservation orders are central to the administration of justice.
The court stated that the respondent’s failure to comply amounted to “absolute silence, total non-compliance, and calculated disdain,” stressing that court orders are not “polite invitations” or “advisory suggestions” to be obeyed only when convenient.
The committal application was argued on behalf of the applicant by a legal team led by Dr. D. A. Awosika, SAN, and Chief Lukman O. Fagbemi, SAN. No representation was recorded for the respondent.
In arriving at its decision, the court relied on several authorities, including JSC BTA Bank v. Ablyazov, Ebhodaghe v. Okosun, Odu v. Jolaoso, and BPE & Anor v. BFI Group Corp, holding that deliberate disobedience of court orders, especially asset disclosure and evidence preservation orders, constitutes a serious attack on the authority of the court.
Justice Musa held that by breaching the relevant orders, the respondent failed to disclose assets worldwide and failed to prove that she had not destroyed or interfered with digital evidence.
The court said her conduct showed “utter scorn, disrespect, and continuous defiance” designed to embarrass or hinder the administration of justice.
“For all the reasons set out above, I impose an immediate custodial sentence of twenty-two (22) months on the Respondent,” the court held.
Consequently, the court ordered that Ikenwankwor be committed to the Suleja Correctional Facility in Niger State for a fixed punitive period of 22 months, or until she fully purges her contempt by complying with the asset disclosure and electronic evidence verification mandates.
Justice Musa also issued a bench warrant of arrest, authorising the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police, the State Security Service, and its Director-General or officers acting under their command to apprehend the respondent anywhere she is found within Nigeria and convey her to Suleja Correctional Facility to serve the term of committal.
The court further ordered the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Director-General of the SSS to place the respondent’s biodata and Nigerian passport details on the National Security Watchlist and No-Fly List across all international and domestic air, land and sea ports in Nigeria.
It directed that upon her arrival or detection, she should be immediately apprehended and her passport confiscated.
As a consequential order, the court directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the INTERPOL National Central Bureau, Abuja, to circulate the bench warrant to the United Kingdom through the INTERPOL I-24/7 global network and formal diplomatic extradition channels to secure her location, arrest and extradition to Nigeria to serve the custodial term.
The enrolled order, also dated July 2, 2026, confirmed the conviction, the 22-month committal order, the bench warrant, the no-fly/watchlist directive and the order for Interpol and diplomatic steps for extradition.
