A businessman and hotelier Otunba Hassan Alli has reaffirmed that the discontinuance of the criminal case against the alleged notorious land grabber Moroof Owonla by the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro is in total disregard to the interest of justice and the rule of law.
He also said the actions of Mr Pedro showed a gross bias, injustice, and danger to the Administration of Criminal Law of Lagos State and against the public interest.
According to the news release signed by the aggrieved businessman, in response to the Attorney General’s publications on the subject matter, Otunba Alli noted that the action of the Attorney General was aimed at promoting abuse of the legal process.
The Nigeria Police had recommended Moroof Owonla for prosecution after diligent investigation and duplicating the case file to the State Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP under the tenure of former Lagos State Attorney General Moyosore Onigbanjo.
The development led to the DPP issuing legal advice and filing eight-count charges against Moroof Owonla after verifying the facts contained in the case file.
However, Owonla in defiance of lawful court refused several court appearances ordered by Justice Adenike Coker of the State High Court in Ikeja, a move that prompted the judge to issue a bench warrant against him.
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In a twist of trial, Lawal Pedro, SAN, assumed office as the State Attorney General and filed a discountenance of the case in exercising his prosecutorial power of Nolle Prosequi.
Expressing his dissatisfaction, Otunba Alli noted that the action is in a clear departure from the provisions of SECTION 211(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended which empowers the Attorney General to exercise Nolle Prosequi.
He pointed out that under SECTION 211(3) it’s stated clearly that ‘In exercising his power under this Section, the Attorney General of a State shall have regard to the public interest, the interest of Justice and the need to prevent abuse of legal process.
The businessman refers the Attorney General, Lawal Pedro to the case file where the Nigeria Police who investigated the criminal allegations revealed that the court order in suit no ID/1722/92 relied on by Moroof Owonla to loot his 33 Rooms Hotel in Ayobo area is fake following the response letter from the Office of the Chief Registrar of the Lagos State High Court.
He emphasised that it’s fallacious, untrue and distortion of material facts by the Attorney-General to conclude coherently that the I.P.0 of the case was petitioned for bias investigation in Alagbon when investigation on the case was concluded at the Police Headquarters of FCID, Abuja.
Otunba Hassan Alli stated that it is crystal clear from the content of the discountenance letter that the Attorney-General was out on a mission of deliberate bias, and injustice, against the legal process and his actions are contrary to public interest thereby raising empty and non-existent defences for the criminal actions perpetrated by Moroof Owonla and his thugs against him.
