Lagos commumity accuses police of threat, disobedience to court order
Stakeholders in the Alaka area of Lagos State have raised the alarm following an alleged threat by armed policemen during an inspection visit to their property. According to them, the
Stakeholders in the Alaka area of Lagos State have raised the alarm following an alleged threat by armed policemen during an inspection visit to their property.
According to them, the incident occurred on Wednesday, February 25, when they arrived at the site to assess their individual plots following a judicial directive mandating the withdrawal of all security personnel from the land.
The stakeholders revealed that the visit began peacefully, with the group examining their allocations, taking photographs, recording videos, and discussing plans to commence development.
The stakeholders in a statement said things changed when armed officers stationed on the property challenged their presence and threatened to shoot at them.
Taiwo Bello, one of the stakeholders described the development as disturbing and questioned why security operatives would continue occupying a property that a court had expressly ordered them to vacate.
Bello explained that the inspection marked an important moment for several owners who had been denied access to the land for an extended period. She stated that the continued deployment of armed officers, despite clear judicial instructions, raises serious concerns about adherence to the rule of law.
She further appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, to ensure discipline within the Nigeria Police Force by directing officers to comply strictly with court rulings and internal operational guidelines.
Another landowner, Gabari Samuel, also expressed concern over what he described as a growing culture of impunity, questioning how officers could disregard both court directives and an order given by the leadership of the Force.
"The development comes against the backdrop of previous warnings by the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who had cautioned that officers involved in escorting parties for land recovery operations would face disciplinary action. Egbetokun had maintained that such roles fall outside the constitutional mandate of the Police and could bring the institution into disrepute," the statement said.
