Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu‘s attempt to dislodge a police team enforcing a Supreme Court judgement at Magodo Phase 2 Estate in Lagos state on Tuesday, January 4, 2021 was met with stiff resistance.
Officers of the law first showed up last month to assist in pulling down properties within the estate on behalf of Shangisha Landlord Association who won a land dispute against the state government at the apex court.
Read Also: Demolition: Residents Stranded As Land Grabbers, Police Invade Magodo Estate (Videos/Photos)
Affected residents of the estate have since been appealing and protesting to the government to intervene and stop the attempts to demolish their buildings.
Policemen recently returned to lay siege on the estate which led residents to call on the governor to intervene.
Sanwo-Olu visited the scene on Tuesday and told the leader of the police delegation that the land matter was a case between private individuals and the state government.
However, when Governor Sanwo-Olu ordered the police officers to engage, an unnamed Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) that led the team rebuffed the governor.
The CSP told the governor that he and his armed colleagues were at the estate on the orders of the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba; as well as the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and can only be ordered to stand down by them.
Sanwo-Olu said;
Can you call your superiors in Abuja and tell them that the governor is here and as the Chief Security Officer, you don’t have any business being in my state right now and that I want you to disengage right now?
Read Also: Lagos Vows To Prosecute Land Grabbers Over Invasion Of Magodo Estate
However the unnamed CSP replied;
I am here on the instruction of the Inspector General of Police through the AGF. I am too small or too low to call them. Your Excellency sir, you can call them sir.
Sanwo-Olu remarked that he had already spoken to Baba and Malami, and that both are unaware of the ongoing police action, but this did not deter the police team.
After many failed attempts, the governor, miffed, turned to journalists and declared the presence of the policemen as illegal, adding that he would make some calls to the IGP and the AGF.
A dissatisfied Sanwo-Olu said;
They (policemen) are not from the Lagos State Police Command. They said they are from Abuja. I don’t know what other interest they have beyond keeping the peace of the country. This is not an expectation that I expect from them because they don’t have any business here.
Addressing concerned residents after the confrontation, the governor said the security operatives will stand down while all parties involved in the conflict engage in reconciliation talks in his office on Wednesday, January 5.
Read Also: Magodo Estate: Sanwo-Olu Intervenes, Invites All Feuding Parties For Meeting On Wednesday
“War doesn’t take anybody anywhere. It is on the table that we will all resolve it,” he assured them.
Watch a video of the incident below;
APC is a curse, even unto themselves. pic.twitter.com/t6Ubxy7qko
— PapaDonkee (@ose_anenih) January 4, 2022
