By Daud Olatunji
ABEOKUTA—THE father of former Speaker of House of Representatives, Alani Bankole, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, accusing Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State of flouting a court order on a land matter involving him and the governor.
Bankole’s petition, a copy which was obtained by Vanguard, identified the landed property in dispute as Plot 1, Block V1, Ibara Commercial Centre in Abeokuta, the state capital.
He had filed a suit before the State High Court in Abeokuta over the land.
The petition, attached with a judgment of March 10, 2014, in suit number AB/335/2012 filed by Bankole, Justice O.O Majekodunmi had ruled that the revocation of the allocation of the land by the state government and its acquisition by Amosun was illegal.
Apparently not satisfied with the judgments, Amosun filed a counter affidavit and written address at an Appeal Court in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital, which was brought to the notice of Ogun State High Court.
Justice Abiodun Akinyemi, in his ruling on the counter affidavit delivered on July 18, granted an injunction pending appeal “restraining the respondent from enforcing or taking any step to enforce the declaratory reliefs granted by the said judgment under relief 1 of the judgment,” adding that “there shall be no order as to cost.”
However, Bankole alleged that Amosun and his agents had commenced work on the land, despite the judgments in his favour and the latest ruling ordering the two parties to desist from taking possession of the land pending the determination of the case in the appeal court.
He said the development made him petition the Inspector-General of Police to call the governor to order “before the situation gets out of hand.”
“However, to my greatest surprise, while I took the ruling in good faith, Governor Amosun and his agents immediately moved to the land and commenced construction on it.
“Please be informed that all these rascality and diabolical impunity being perpetrated by Governor Amosun are being supervised by policemen attached to the Government House, some of who are permanently stationed at the site to provide cover for the illegality.
“I could not fathom the reason Governor Amosun is desperately trying to hijack a land that legitimately belongs to me. This is the height of executive rascality and disregard for rule of law by a man who swore to respect the constitution of our country.
“I will like to put it on record that no man has the monopoly of rascality. The Governor’s attitude, despite being the Chief Security Officer of the State is capable of setting the State on fire, but as a man who is unrepentantly committed to the peaceful co-existence of Nigeria, and who believes that two wrongs can never make a right, I hereby request you, as the man saddled with the responsibility of maintaining peace and order to intervene and ensure compliance to the various judgments and ruling of the Ogun State High Courts.”
I’ll not join issue with him — Ogun gov
But the governor, in a swift reaction on Sunday through Olumide Ayeni, said he would not join issues with Mr. Bankole on the pages of newspapers.
Ayeni, who is the second defendant in the case, said he was not ready to respond to the issue on pages of newspapers.
He said: “If it is in relation to Chief Alani Bankole, I am not interested. I don’t believe in third party information. I have not seen the petition, so I will not comment on it. I don’t join issues on pages of newspapers. I join issues in court. Goodbye.”
