NBA Seeks Probe Of IGP Monitoring Unit

The Nigerian Bar Association, Epe branch has urged the
Inspection-General Of Police, (IGP) Mohammed Adamu to investigate
activities of the Monitoring Unit under his office,

The NBA is alleging that some of the unit’s officers have been
aiding and abetting land grabbers and using police power to
intimidate residents in the Lekki area of Lagos

The Epe NBA told journalists at a conference that it had
forwarded a petition to the IGP in which it alleged that the police
unlawfully aided a fake lawyer with fraudulent titles to use of
thugs to terrorise residents of the axis.

The petition, signed by its Secretary, Jimoh Saliu on behalf of
the Chairman, Ademola Koko and the executives, claimed that the
unit had been conniving “with a land grabbing dynasty and providing
cover for them for corrupt influences.

“We have been inundated with several land grabbing complaints by
this set of people within our jurisdiction, with no regard for the
rule of law and constituted authorities. Instead of referring the
matter of land dispute to the court of competent jurisdiction, they
solicit the help of their cohorts in the monitoring unit of the IGP
who use police powers to hoodwink

The petition was sequel to a February 26, 2021 emergency meeting
of the association pursuant to the “public protection right of the
citizens as provided under the constitution of the NBA to take a
stand on the urgent and numerous calls of the terrorised citizens
of Nigeria.”

The petition was copied to the Chairman, Police Service
Commission, Attorney-General of the Federation, the Chief Judge of
Lagos State, the state’s Attorney-General, the Permanent Secretary,
Land Bureau, the state’s Surveyor General and all the State
Chairmen of NBA branches in Lagos State.

The association claimed to have received a petition on February,
8 2021, from the office of Messrs Suraj Umar & Co complaining of
criminal activities and conspiracy of a lawyer involved in a land
grabbing case in Sangotedo Town, Lekki.

“The matter was referred to the Disciplinary Committee of the
Branch who upon search on the NBA’s website could not find the name
of the lawyer on the list of lawyers in Nigeria.

“This prompted us to verify physically with the National
Secretariat on February 18, 2021 and the National Secretary came up
with the same result.

“The National General Secretary advised us to try the Supreme
Court of Nigeria which we also wrote to with the attached
fraudulent documents purportedly prepared by him and fake execution
in favour of the land grabbers.

“Shockingly, the said lawyer’s name could not be found by the
Supreme Court and this prompted the Chief registrar to put a call
through to the lawyer to no avail”, it said

The petition said rather than the police doing the needful, they
gave flimsy excuses in an attempt to shy away from their duty.

The NBA lamented that land grabbers had however kept threatening
the peace of the people in Sangotedo area of Lekki that they should
vacate where they had been living for many years.

“We have advised the community, most of whom are government
allottees, some with governor’s concept and the customary owners to
maintain law and not resort to self help despite provocation as
Lagos cannot tolerate another violence and that they they should
resort to Lagos State Taskforce on Land grabbers, which they
did.

The NBA Epe, therefore, urged the IGP to restrain members of the
Monitoring Unit from coming to Lekki axis to dabble into land
matter adding ”the Supreme Court has said it times without number
that disputants should approach the courts of competent
jurisdiction on land matters as they are civil in nature.”

The Nigerian Bar Association, Epe branch has urged the
Inspection-General Of Police, (IGP) Mohammed Adamu to investigate
activities of the Monitoring Unit under his office,

The NBA is alleging that some of the unit’s officers have been
aiding and abetting land grabbers and using police power to
intimidate residents in the Lekki area of Lagos

The Epe NBA told journalists at a conference that it had
forwarded a petition to the IGP in which it alleged that the police
unlawfully aided a fake lawyer with fraudulent titles to use of
thugs to terrorise residents of the axis.

The petition, signed by its Secretary, Jimoh Saliu on behalf of
the Chairman, Ademola Koko and the executives, claimed that the
unit had been conniving “with a land grabbing dynasty and providing
cover for them for corrupt influences.

“We have been inundated with several land grabbing complaints by
this set of people within our jurisdiction, with no regard for the
rule of law and constituted authorities. Instead of referring the
matter of land dispute to the court of competent jurisdiction, they
solicit the help of their cohorts in the monitoring unit of the IGP
who use police powers to hoodwink

The petition was sequel to a February 26, 2021 emergency meeting
of the association pursuant to the “public protection right of the
citizens as provided under the constitution of the NBA to take a
stand on the urgent and numerous calls of the terrorised citizens
of Nigeria.”

The petition was copied to the Chairman, Police Service
Commission, Attorney-General of the Federation, the Chief Judge of
Lagos State, the state’s Attorney-General, the Permanent Secretary,
Land Bureau, the state’s Surveyor General and all the State
Chairmen of NBA branches in Lagos State.

The association claimed to have received a petition on February,
8 2021, from the office of Messrs Suraj Umar & Co complaining of
criminal activities and conspiracy of a lawyer involved in a land
grabbing case in Sangotedo Town, Lekki.

“The matter was referred to the Disciplinary Committee of the
Branch who upon search on the NBA’s website could not find the name
of the lawyer on the list of lawyers in Nigeria.

“This prompted us to verify physically with the National
Secretariat on February 18, 2021 and the National Secretary came up
with the same result.

“The National General Secretary advised us to try the Supreme
Court of Nigeria which we also wrote to with the attached
fraudulent documents purportedly prepared by him and fake execution
in favour of the land grabbers.

“Shockingly, the said lawyer’s name could not be found by the
Supreme Court and this prompted the Chief registrar to put a call
through to the lawyer to no avail”, it said

The petition said rather than the police doing the needful, they
gave flimsy excuses in an attempt to shy away from their duty.

The NBA lamented that land grabbers had however kept threatening
the peace of the people in Sangotedo area of Lekki that they should
vacate where they had been living for many years.

“We have advised the community, most of whom are government
allottees, some with governor’s concept and the customary owners to
maintain law and not resort to self help despite provocation as
Lagos cannot tolerate another violence and that they they should
resort to Lagos State Taskforce on Land grabbers, which they
did.

The NBA Epe, therefore, urged the IGP to restrain members of the
Monitoring Unit from coming to Lekki axis to dabble into land
matter adding ”the Supreme Court has said it times without number
that disputants should approach the courts of competent
jurisdiction on land matters as they are civil in nature.”