CHUKA UBAH
A Lagos State Magistrate Court has granted bail to the seven security guards, who were arrested and detained by operatives of the FCID, Alagbon, over the death of a man in the Agidingbi area area of the state.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the counsel to the Estate of the late Lagos businessman, Emmanuel Ashamu Oyedele, has condemned the arrest of the workers by Policemen from the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, over a matter that is already before a court of competent jurisdiction and also being investigated by the Lagos State Police Command and the Zone 2 Police Command.
The Police had on Monday approached the Court, presided by Olanrewaju Olatunji, to seek application for remand order pending when the arrested workers would be arraigned in Court.
Oladiran Ayodele of the legal department, FCID Annex, Alagbon, had prayed the Court to grant a warrant order to continue keep the suspects in custody.
However, Adeola Ibrahim, counsel to the arrested workers, opposed it noting that the arrest and continued detention of the workers was just an attempt to keep them out of circulation.
The workers were arrested last Thursday and hurriedly arraigned in court but granted bail by the magistrate.
The Magistrate after listening to both parties, refused to grant the remand warrant and admitted the arrested workers on bail, noting that the prosecutor had not shown enough reasons the suspects should be remanded.
The counsel to the Estate of the late Ashamu Oyedele described the arrest of the seven workers as a hatched plan to forcefully grab a large expanse of land belonging to the late business man.
One of the lawyers to the late businessman’s Estate, Adeola Ibrahim, said that the arrest of the seven security men was purely carried out by the Police at FCID to pave the way for one of the parties to forcefully take control and possession of the land.
He also stated that the arrest and the subsequent deployment of Policemen from FCID, Alagbon, to protect one of the parties was a disregard to the order of the Inspector General of Police and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, who after listening to the two parties ordered that both parties must maintain status quo.
The lawyer said, “From all indications, one of the disputing parties is apparently using the FCID Alagbon to forcefully take over the land”.
He stressed, “You may recall that on the 18th of June, 2025, the Police officers from SEB of FCID Alagbon came and arrested a security guard and two passersby around the disputed land”.
“After the arrest, they stationed mock policemen or officers who were on illegal duty on the land to guide the people, who have been brought by one of the disputing parties to the land.”
“The AIG Zone 2 and the Commissioner of Police had denied deploying the policemen to the scene and in an effort to restore normalcy, a driver, who was later arrested and still in detention, while trying to escape from the scene, in a vehicle loaded with arms and ammunition, crushed one of his colleagues.”
Barr.Ibrahim also added, “The key issue for me is that the death was triggered by the arrest of our security guard by operatives of the FCID, Alagbon”.
“Zone 2 Police Command is already investigating the incident and to make the latest arrest more worrisome is the fact that the Lagos State Criminal Investigations Department, Panti, is already investigating a case of culpable murder over the death.”
He further said that, “All the parties are being interrogated. Everyone found on the land is also being interrogated. We do not understand the bases of the July 3rd storming of the place by operatives of FCID Alagbon again to the place to carry out arrest of our security guards”.
He described the arrest as “a decoy to enable one of the disputing parties on the land to control and take possession of the land.
“Immediately after the arrest of our workers, the other party went to site and started massive construction on the land. The Police also took over now and are providing cover and security for the other party on the land.”
“The latest action is against two orders. First, the subsisting order of the IGP, which stated that no personnel of the NPF are to be deployed on the disputed land or any land matter or being on illegal guard on land related issue.”
“Also, the CP Lagos State, immediately after the death of the said person gave an order that nobody must do any work on the disputed land until the conclusion of investigation.”
“The Police cannot fold their hands to allow a breakdown of law and order.
The CP specifically on Monday 23rd of June asked all parties to stop any work on that land. He instructed the Area Commander in charge of Area F and the DPO in charge of Alausa Police station to ensure compliance.”
He noted, “Policemen from Alagbon came and arrested people who are merely security guards. The leader of the Police team, CSP Taiwo Oyewole, till now has not shown the petition to which the security officers were arrested to either the lawyers or the suspects”.
The lawyer averred that, “It is clear that CSP Taiwo Oyewole of FCID Alagbon is carrying out the bidding of one of the parties in dispute over that land and that is against against the statutory responsibility of the NPF as determined in the relevant Extant Laws”.
“Her conduct does not demonstrate neutrality in the investigation of the matter as she appears to be a willing tools in the hands of one of the parties on the matter.”
The lawyer also said, “Already, we have instituted a case, which is before the Lagos State High Court”.
