The Attorney-General of Lagos State and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), has lambasted the police over the arraignment of a 27-year-old man, who was arrested and arraigned for filming a traffic warden on duty.
Onigbanjo described the arraignment of the man, Israel Adejol, by the police before the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Ebute Metta as an abuse of delegated prosecutorial power.
A statement on Friday by the Director of Public Affairs in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mr Kayode Oyekami, said Onigbanjo entered a nolle prosequi in the case and immediately terminated Adejol’s trial by the police.
Adejol was said to have been arrested by the police in January at Orile-Iganmu while videotaping a traffic warden on duty.
The police dragged him before the magistrates’ court, alleging that he violated Section 57(1) (c) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
But the attorney general, according to the statement, rubbished the charge, describing it as “an abuse of delegated power of prosecution.”
Oyekanmi said Onigbanjo’s notice of discontinuance of the charge was, on February 11, taken before the magistrate, T. Agbona, who heard it and promptly struck out the charges and set Adejol free.
“Onigbanjo added that his decision to exercise prosecutorial powers is discretional on matters considered to be in the interest of the public, saying the power to prosecute criminal offences should be exercised with utmost caution after due consideration of facts.
“The attorney general assured members of the public that the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration will ensure that justice is dispensed fairly to every resident of the state,” Oyekanmi said in the statement.
The Punch
