January 06, (THEWILL) – The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), on Wednesday, said policemen dispatched to Magodo Phase 2 Estate area of Lagos State were on lawful duty.
The AGF in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Umar Gwandu, said nothing was unruly about the operations of the police officers’ presence at the estate.
Policemen numbering about 50 had recently accompanied suspected land grabbers and members of a family who had planned to demolish property in the estate to execute a Supreme Court judgement.
Amidst the development, the Estate management ordered a closure of the Estate’s gates on Tuesday in protest against the planned demolition of property in the estate.
THEWILL had reported that a Chief Superintendent of Police, Abimbola Oyewole, had on Tuesday openly defied the order of Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to vacate the estate along with his team who were on ground to effect the court judgement.
The CSP had told the governor that he and his armed colleagues were at the estate on the orders of the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba.
The action had generated wide criticisms and in particular, the South-West Governors Forum condemned the “disrespectful conduct” of CSP Oyewole to Gov. Sanwo-Olu.
But Malami in a statement said, “that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation belongs to the Executive arm of the Government. The Supreme Court belongs to the Judiciary.
“The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice takes exception to the Southwest Governors unjustifiable insinuation of impunity against the office of the Attorney General over execution of a judgement of the Supreme Court.
“The role of the executive is, in this respect, simply to aide the maintenance of law and order in due compliance with rule of law arising from giving effect to the judgement of the apex court of the land.
“Let it be known that the issue is regarding a Supreme Court Judgement that was delivered in 2012 long before the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in office at a time when Malami was not a Minister.
“The judgement was a reaffirmation of the judgements of Court of Appeal and High Court delivered on 31st December, 1993.”
“It is widely reported in the papers that the Lagos state Governor was quoted to have said “I’ve spoken extensively with the Inspector-General of Police and the Honourable Attorney-General, and we’ve resolved all the issues”.
“The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, would appreciate if the coalition of the Governors will help to unravel the circumstances preventing the Lagos State Government from enforcing the court order despite several attempts from 2012- 2015 and so-called settlement initiative started in 2016.
“Some of the cardinal pillars of democratic Government are the doctrine of separation of powers and obedience to the rule of law inclusive of Court Orders.
“It is a common knowledge that execution of the judgement and orders of Courts of competent jurisdiction, and the Court of last resort in the circumstances remains a cardinal component of the rule of law and the office of the Attorney General wonders how maintenance of the law and orders in the course of execution of the judgement of the supreme can be adjudged by imagination of the governors to be unruly.
“We want to restate that sanctity of the rule of law is not a matter of choice.”
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