The Lagos State Government has debunked claims that it willfully disobeyed a court order in connection with the ongoing demolition of illegal structures in Oworonshoki, describing the allegations as “misleading and unfair.”
Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), made this clarification while addressing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday. He stressed that no subsisting court injunction was served on any arm or agency of the state government prior to the demolition exercise.
According to him, reports suggesting that the demolition violated a restraining order obtained by some residents were “factually inaccurate and legally untenable.”
“As of today, I am aware of the order being referred to. However, before the demolition exercise they are complaining about, that order was not served on any government agency,” Pedro explained.
He added that the said order was allegedly endorsed on Friday, October 24 — the same day the demolition took place — which, according to him, made it impossible for any government office to have been formally served before the exercise commenced.
“Even if the order was granted on that Friday, could any government office have been served on Saturday? No. Therefore, no agency of the Lagos State Government was aware of any such order at that time,” the Attorney General argued.
Pedro maintained that the government could not act on what he described as “verbal notifications” or “hearsay” regarding court decisions. He stated that only a duly served and acknowledged order could bind the state.
“If there has been any order said to have been violated, my position remains that no such order was ever brought to the attention of any government agency before the act complained about,” he said.
The Attorney General also criticised what he termed the “weaponisation of court processes” against the public interest, alleging that some litigants have begun to use the judiciary as “an instrument of intimidation” even when the government had demonstrated fairness.
Pedro revealed that the demolition of illegal structures in Oworonshoki commenced nearly a month ago but was temporarily suspended on the directive of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to allow residents ample time to relocate.
He further disclosed that the government had paid compensation to the affected persons despite questions surrounding the authenticity of their land titles.
“The Governor ordered a temporary suspension of the demolition and subsequently approved compensation to enable the occupants to relocate. Ironically, the case now being cited was not even filed until long after the demolition process had commenced,” he added.
