Mr Hassan Alli, a Lagos-based businessman, has kicked against the attempt by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), to withdraw a criminal charge filed by his office against one Moroof Owonla, also known as Kaka Moroof.
The state’s Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had arraigned Owonla and two others before Justice Adenike Coker of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja over allegations of land-grabbing
The DPP had filed an eight-count charge against Owonla and his co-defendants, Olu-Aminu Yemisi Abdulaziz and Ganiyu Amin, over an alleged conspiracy to commit a felony.
They were alleged to have forcefully entered into a landed property situated at No 34, Faguson Osagie Street, Lagos, carting away building materials valued at N30 million.
However, the defendant has failed to appear before the court to take their plea after several adjournments, prompting Justice Coker to issue a warrant for their arrest on April 25, 2024.
In a surprise move, the Director of Public Prosecution, Jide Martins, who had earlier issued a legal advice indicting and recommending the defendants for trial, filed a notice of discontinuance of the case on behalf of the Attorney General.
In the notice copied to the inspector General of Police and the court, Martins said the decision to withdraw the charge against the defendants was based on fresh facts recently discovered in the case.
However, Alli has described the move as an alleged ploy to deny him justice by Pedro, who he claimed was a lawyer to Owonla before he became the Attorney-General of Lagos State.
Alli also claimed that the development demonstrated the alleged bias of Pedro in the matter because the immediate past Attorney-General, Moyosore Onigbajo (SAN,) during his tenure, approved the trial of the defendants after the office of the DPP reviewed the report of the police and other supporting facts.
He further alleged, “Rather than present the defendants in court, the new Attorney General initiated a meeting which he tagged RESTORATIVE JUSTICE MEETING’ as against arraignment of Moroof Owonla, and his co-defendants in Court and the ugly outcome of the meeting was further boasts before
the Attorney-General that he has not committed any offence.
“I am indeed shocked to know that the judiciary has become so weak and predictable by non-state actors like Moroof Owonla, who continue to perpetrate criminality and boast of his connections with people in authority, which is not healthy for Nigeria’s judicial system and the justice Sector.
“I demand justice from all government agencies, all authorities in Nigeria, all well-meaning Nigerians who are in one way or the other affiliated to the justice delivery system in Nigeria including the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Lagos State House of Assembly Justice Committee, Federal House of Representative, Senate Committee on Justice, National Judicial Commission (NJC), Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA).
“I seek the intervention of all lovers of Justice to wade into this case to avert injustice kindly
being meted out on me by improper discontinuance of the criminal infraction occasioned against my
person by Moroof Owonla, who is boasting of his strong connection with the Attorney General of Lagos State.
“If this type of evil and injustice is
allowed to have its way on me, it could be the turn of any law-abiding citizens of Nigeria tomorrow, ” Alli stated.
