Ile Arugbo: Saraki’s lawyers petition police over Kwara Govt violation of court order
By Saka Laaro Ilorin.
Lawyers representing Asa Investment Limited and the Saraki family have asked the Kwara State Commissioner for Police to call on Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq-led state government to respect the court order restraining it from doing anything on the plots of land otherwise known as Ile-Arugbo said to be the property of late Abubakar Olusola Saraki.
This was contained in a petition written to the Police Commissioner and signed by Barrister A. A. Ibraheem, a copy of which was sighted by this medium on Tuesday afternoon.
It would be recalled that a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin had restrained the Kwara State government from commencing any construction works on the said plots of land pending the final determination of the case.
Justice A. O. Akinpelu gave the interim restraining order in a suit filed by Asa Investment, the Saraki family, and another person against Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Kwara State House of Assembly, Attorney-General of Kwara State, Director-General, Kwara State Bureau of Lands and Inspector-General of Police.
In addition to this interim order, the immediate past Kwara State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Salman Jawondo, SAN, signed an undertaking on behalf of the state government not to engage or do anything on the land until the conclusion of the case.
However, Governor Abdulrazaq, last week, ordered the clearing of the disputed Ile-Arugbo land. This development prompted counsel to the claimants to petition the State Commissioner of Police to intervene and direct the state government to respect the court ruling.
According to the lawyers, agents of the state government were seen demolishing structures and buildings on the land while the suit is still pending and not finally determined or struck out by the court.
They argued that the governor’s actions constitute contempt of court and urged the police to take necessary steps to ensure compliance with the law to avoid acts capable of causing breakdown of law and order in Ilorin.
“Acts of lawlessness and breach of order of a competent court of law are least expected of an executive governor of a State who ought to be an enforcer of the law,” the counsel stated.
