Lafiagi Mayhem:Group Protests Alleged Interference of KWSG in Court Case

The Lafiagi Progressives Forum, a group earnestly rooting and canvassing for political power shift in the state in 2023 to the Kwara North Senatorial Zone under the Kwara State All Progressives Congress party (APC) has called on the Chief Judge of Kwara State to take a particularly curious interest in the February 18 mayhem court case scheduled for further hearing in Lafiagi, Kwara State.

Recalled that on Monday, 8 February, 2021, some critical stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party in the Edu LGA Chapter of Kwara State who are also leaders of Kwara North
were allegedly attacked and molested by hoodlums during the party’s stakeholders meeting at Lafiagi.

A statement issued on Wednesday by the group Coordinator, Alh M. Baba Lafiagi urged the Chief Judge not to allow the State Ministry of Justice from taking over the prosecution of the case.

The statement read:

Fingers of accusation are still being pointed at the executive arm of the Kwara State Government regarding the sponsorship of the attack by the hoodlums and thugs and the matter has since been taken to court.

The Lafiagi Progressives Forum in a signed press release issued by the Co-Ordinator of the Lafiagi Progressives Forum in support of the complainants in the ongoing court case, Alhaji M Baba Lafiagi, stated that the case, which was filed at Lafiagi was wrongly transferred to Ilorin via a letter of authority written by the Kwara State Ministry of Justice, without the prior consent of the complainants.

The Kwara State Ministry of Justice surprisingly continued in its attempt to transfer the case to Ilorin, even after the complainants advanced reasons in a petition stating lack of confidence in the Kwara State Ministry of Justice prosecuting the case on their behalf as some of the defendants are related to some former and present aides and appointees of the current Kwara State Governor while others are thugs suspected to be sponsored by the Governor and his cohorts who disrupted the APC stakeholders meeting and attacked APC (Loyal) party members at the venue of the meeting in Lafiagi with dangerous weapons.

We fervently thank The Chief Judge of Kwara State for
a. Directing the Kwara State Director of Area Courts to return the case to the Lafiagi Area Court , and
b.Disallowing the Kwara State Ministry of Justice from taking over the prosecution of the case.

However, to utter dismay of the complainants, on arriving at the Area Court, Lafiagi on the 23/09/2021 for the hearing of the case after two adjournments, a solicitor representing the Attorney General of Kwara State was at the court claiming that he has been directed by the Kwara State Government to appear for the complaints!, despite the fact that the complainants are already being creditably represented by a competent lawyer of their choice and who has performed excellently on the case so far. Therefore, any attempt to take over the prosecution of the case by the Kwara State Government will be grossly against the wish of the complainants, against the rule of law and attempt at interfering in a judicial process and thereby denying the complainants fair hearing and justice.
It is vitally also important that in a democracy, court cases and indeed ALL judicial processes are kept independent of all external arm-twisting and influences- like the Kwara State Government has embarked upon in this particular court case.
In the light of the foregoing therefore, we implore and pray that the Attorney General and the Chief Judge of Kwara State rise to their duties and responsibilities and insist that the needfuls are done to ensure that the justice that the complainants are seeking is given to them.

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