Ile Arugbo dispute: Saraki petitions police over Gov AbdulRazaq’s ‘violation’ of court order
Lawyers representing Asa Investment Limited and the Saraki family have petitioned the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, CP Olaiya Victor Mobolaji, to urge Kwara Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, to respect the court order restraining them from taking any action on disputed Ile-Arugbo plots of land.
The petition, signed by Barrister A. A. Ibraheem, was sighted by The Informant247 on Tuesday.
The Informant247 recalled that the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin had restrained the state government from commencing any construction works on the said plots of land pending the final determination of the case.
Justice A. O. Akinpelu granted an 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.
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 in any activities on the land until the conclusion of the case.
However, in contravention of the court order, the governor ordered the clearing of the disputed Ile-Arugbo land last week, prompting the claimants’ counsel to petition the State Commissioner of Police to intervene and direct the state government to respect the court order.
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.
The lawyers 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 prevent acts capable of causing a breakdown of law and order in Ilorin.
“Acts of lawlessness and breach of a competent court’s order are least expected from an executive governor of a state who ought to be an enforcer of the law,” the counsel stated.
