A Nigerian photojournalist, Ayodele Adeniran, who works for The Guardian, was recently assaulted at the Lagos State High Court in Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), during the scheduled arraignment of 2 lawyers and a real estate developer.
Ayodele was physically dragged in court for attempting to take a picture of one of the defendants, and could only free himself after showing the defendant his camera to prove that no image was captured.
The defendants: Adebayo Akeju, a partner at Adon Partners; Ademola Owolabi, managing partner of Ademola Adetokunbo & Co., and real estate developer, Alex Ochonogor, were standing trial before Justice Serifat Sonaike on a 5-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit forgery, forgery, and wilful destruction of property.
The case was filed after alleged illegal activities involving fake land documents and the demolition of property in the Lekki area.
As soon as the case was called, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr Babajide Martins, announced himself as the representative of the state.
The 1st defendant had Abiodun Layonu (SAN) representing him, while the 2nd and 3rd were represented by A.A. Durojaiye and Tony Ejere, respectively.
Tony, who notified the court that the 3rd defendant, Ochonogor, was unavoidably absent after a health crisis that saw him rushed to Lagoon Hospital very early in the morning, requested that the case be adjourned.
State rep Dr Babajide Martins didn’t oppose adjournment, admitting that only a living defendant will be able to stand trial.
Justice Sonaike then granted the adjournment while emphasising that all required court filings must be completed before the next hearing.
Sonaike also ordered Tony Ejere to make sure his client is present in court on the next adjourned date for his arraignment.
The charge sheet stated that the defendants allegedly conspired to forge an affidavit of loss and a demolition notice purportedly issued by the Lagos State Lands Bureau, to falsely claim that a Certificate of Occupancy originally issued to one Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to Sani Abacha, was missing, whereas Al-Mustapha had sold the land to a firm.
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The firm then demised it to another firm that eventually sold it to the present owner, Dr Eze Obidigwe.
Further allegations levelled against them include forgery of a memorandum of loss for the same document, and willful demolishing of a bungalow located at Plot 10, Block 133, Lekki Peninsula Residential Scheme 1, which belongs to Eze Obidigwe, a Nigerian living abroad, before selling it to the 3rd defendant, Ochonogor.
