The Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has ordered the arrest and detention of one Henry Edet Unung for allegedly neglecting his children.
Justice Ntong Ntong ordered the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police to arrest Unung and detain him for one month in the Uyo Correctional Centre for refusing to take care of his own children.
Justice Ntong ordered the committal while delivering a ruling in a suit brought by the wife of the respondent and mother of the three children.
Ntong said the respondent deliberately refused to obey the court’s order and decision of Justice Iboro Ukpanah of November 9, 2018 mandating him to pay N20,000 monthly allowance in addition to a bag of rice, beans, garri and other food items for his own children’s upkeep in addition to payment of their school fees, medical needs and clothing.
“You bluntly refused to abide by the order, which amounts to contemptuous and a wanton disrespect and affront to the majesty of the court,” the judge stated.
The judge further said that in September 2019, the court ordered the registrar to remind the respondent to obey its order which the defendant also disobeyed.
“The right of a court to punish whoever disobeys its orders is inherent and legitimate rights and that although the power should be sparingly used, this will make the respondent realize that the welfare of his own children should not be abandoned.
“The police should keep the father of three in prison custody for one calendar month before he will be brought before the court to purge himself of the contempt.’’
The case was adjourned to March 28.
