Law firm drags Lagos AGF, task force chair to NHRC

A Law firm, Salawu Akingbolu and Company, has dragged the Lagos State Attorney-General (AGF) and the chairman of the Lagos State Special Task Force on Land Grabbing before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), over alleged frustration of its client’s bail.
  
The law firm in a petition dated June 29, 2017, stated that both the AGF and the task force chairman have frustrated all efforts in securing the bail of its client, Alhaji Kamarudeen Lamina, who was arrested, detained and arraigned for alleged land grabbing.
  
The petition, which was signed by a lawyer in the law firm, Olayemi Adetifa, stated that Lamina was arrested and arraigned before a Lagos State Special Court and granted bail, but the chairman of the Task Force have made it impossible for its client to regain freedom, as he allegedly threatened those who wanted to stand surety for him.

Part of the petition reads: “To show this attempt at frustrating our client’s freedom, the Grade Level 15 Civil Servant, who had agreed to stand as surety for our client was being threatened by the Task Force Chairman and his cohort to withdraw or else he will be dismissed from the service by the state government, because the fight against our client is with the state. No worker of the state is expected to stand for him as surety.”
  
But the spokesman for the state Ministry of Justice, Mr. Kayode Oyekanmi, dismissed the allegations, saying it is impossible for the state to try to frustrate the accused. “I was in court that day he was arraigned. Bail conditions were given to him. It is the responsibility of the accused person to meet his bail condition, instead of pointing accusing fingers. Therefore, it is incorrect for the law firm to allege that the AGF and the task force chairman are frustrating his client,” he stated.