A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Tayo Oyetibo, yesterday accused the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), of abusing the court process in the ongoing trial of three defendants — Alex Ochonogor, Ademola Owolabi, and Adebayo Akeju — over alleged forgery and willful property damage.
The defendants were arraigned before the Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square for allegedly forging land documents and demolishing a property in Lekki. They pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.
At yesterday’s proceedings before Justice Sherifat Sonaike, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, said the trial would not proceed because the Attorney-General had ordered a reinvestigation of the case.
He requested an adjournment to allow the police to carry out the directive.
But Oyetibo, representing Ochonogor, opposed the move, calling it “an abuse of court process.”
He argued: “You cannot file a matter and then ask the police to reinvestigate it. That is oppression.” He added that the case should not have been filed if investigations were incomplete.
Dr. Martins explained that the decision followed concerns raised by the first defendant’s counsel, Abiodun Layonu (SAN), who had earlier requested further inquiry.
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Justice Sonaike noted that Layonu had previously written to the court suggesting reinvestigation, though the prosecution claimed it was unaware of the letter.
Oyetibo maintained that the police had already concluded their inquiry, saying: “If the defence is aware of a letter that the prosecution isn’t, then there’s a problem.”
Justice Sonaike adjourned the matter to January 12, 2026, for the police to communicate their findings to the prosecution.
A letter from the Lagos Ministry of Justice dated August 22, 2025, and signed by DPP Director Adeshola Adekunle-Bello, directed the police to reopen the investigation and interrogate new witnesses, including Dr. Obidigwe Eze and Major Hamza Al-Mustapha.
This followed a second police report, signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohammed Dahiru, which cleared Ochonogor and Owolabi of wrongdoing. The report stated that no documents were forged and that the demolition was authorised by Lagos State officials.
It further confirmed that the demolition notice was genuine and published in The Punch of September 11, 2009, and that documents attributed to Al-Mustapha were properly signed and registered.