Alleged Bail Frustration: Law Firm Drags Lagos’ AGF, Task Force’s Chair To NHRC
Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
A law firm, Salawu Akingbolu and Company, has dragged the Lagos State Attorney-General, and the Chairman of Lagos State Special Task Force on Land Grabbing before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), over alleged frustration of his its client’s bail.
The Law firm in a petition dated June 29, 2017, stated that both the AGF and the Chairman of the Task Force, have fraustrated all efforts in securing the bail of its client, Alhaji Kamarudeen Lamina, who was arrested, detained and arraigned for alleged land grabbing.
The petition which was signed by a lawyer in the Law firm, Olayemi Adetifa, stated that Alhaji Lamina was arrested and arraigned before a Lagos State Special Court, and accordingly granted bail, but the Chairman of the Task Force have made it impossible for its client to regain freedom, as he threatened those who wanted to stand surety for him.
Parts of the petition reads: “on June 16, 2017, our client was arraigned before a Lagos State Special Couet, and was accordingly granted bail. However, it is more worrisome that our client having met the bail conditions, Mr. Bakare, the Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force on Land Grabbing, is doing everything to fraustrate our client from regaining freedom.
“To show this calculating attempts of frustrating our client’s regaining freedom, the Grade Level 15 Civil Servant, who had agreed to stand as surety for our client was being threatened by the Task Force Chairman and his cohort to withdraw or else he will be dismiss from the service by the state government, because the fight against our client is with the state. No worker of the state is expected to stand for him as surety. Despite this on going, the media and the public are still being feed with the news that our client is unable to meet the bail conditions”.
The Law firm, therefore urged the NHRC to wade into the matter so that it’s client will not continue to suffer in the hand of the ‘power that be’.
Intimating the Commission on what led to the arrest, detention and prosecution of its client, the Law firm, stated that its client, Alhaji Lamina, was arrested by the Lagos State Special Task Force, on a ‘frivolous’ petition written by one Ibrahim, of Planet Properties Limited, on allegation of land grabbing of a 20-acre of land at Mowo Kekere, Ikorodu area of Lagos State, which is currently a subject of litigation before a Lagos High Court.
In the petition, the lawyer stated that his client, who is a businessman had on June 14, 2017, honoured an invitation of the Task Force, where he was confronted with the petition, while it’s client told the Agency how the descendant of Ife-Gbuwa sold the land to him in 2005, the claim with the receipt issued to him and land agreement executed in his favour for the transaction. And that it was the meeting that it was revealed that members of the said family also sold the same.land to the said Mr. Ibrahim.
The Law firm stated that despite all the explanations given by its client, and pendency of the suit with Number IKD/476cm/15, on the matter, the Chairman of the Task Force on land grabbing, is go went ahead to arrest, detain and prosecute its client.
