Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has said that policemen dispatched to Magodo Phase 2 Estate of Lagos State were there on his orders.
It was earlier reported that the Chief Superintendent of Police on Tuesday openly defied Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s order to vacate the area.
The police officer told Sanwo-Olu that he was at the estate on the orders of the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba; as well as the Attorney General of the Federation, Malami.
ATTENTION: Click “HERE” to join our WhatsApp group and receive News updates directly on your WhatsApp!
Gov. Sanwo-Olu had led members of his cabinet to visit the residents of the estate protesting the continued presence of armed policemen in the estate.
For days, policemen surrounded the estate in company with suspected land grabbers and members of a family, who had planned to demolish properties in the choice estate to execute a Supreme Court judgment.
This court order caused commotion at the estate as landlords and tenants worried over their fate.
South-West governors in a statement signed by Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu described the development as unacceptable to the governors.
They also condemned the role of the Attorney-General of the Federation in the issue.
AGF Malami in a statement reminded them that his office “belonged to the Executive arm of government, while the Supreme Court belongs to the judiciary”.
He also tackled the criticism of South-West governors, saying nothing was unruly about the operations of the police officers’ presence at the estate.
“The role of the executive was to maintain law and order in due compliance with rule of law arising from giving effect to the judgment of the apex court of the land, he said.
In a statement by AGF Malami, “It is important to state 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 South-West governors unjustifiable insinuation of impunity against the office of the Attorney-General over execution of a judgment of the Supreme Court.
The role of the executive is, simply to aide the maintenance of law and order in due compliance with rule of law arising from giving effect to the judgment of the apex court of the land. Let it be known that the issue is regarding a Supreme Court judgment was delivered long before the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in office at a time when Malami was not a minister.
“The judgment was a reaffirmation of the judgments 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 Attorney-General, and all issues have been resolved.
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.
