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| Major Hamza Al-Mustapha |
Lagos State Government has gone to the Supreme Court to appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, which freed Maj. Hamza al-Mustapha and Lateef Shofolahan, who were accused of killing Mrs. Kudirat Abiola.
Kudirat was the wife of the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola.
The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, at a briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, said there were “good grounds of appeal” in the case.
Ipaye said his ministry filed two separate notices of appeal against the judgment on Monday.
Al-Mustapha, a former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, and Shofolahan, a Personal Assistant to Kudirat, were on January 30, 2012, sentenced to death by hanging by Justice Mojisola Dada of a Lagos High Court.
The Justice Amina Augie-led appellate court on July 12, 2013, however, set aside the judgment of the lower court.
Ipaye, who refused to give details of the appeal, said the apex court would provide the final resolution of the case.
He said, “I can report that we have indeed appealed the judgments, one in respect of al-Mustapha and the other in respect of Lateef Shofolahan.
“Both have been studied closely and we came to the conclusion that there were good grounds for appeal and we have since filed all the necessary papers.
“We did that on Monday. Officially, we have put in our indication that we want to contest the judgment of the Court of Appeal at the Supreme Court.
“This step will also ensure that all issues are fully articulated and the victim’s family, the defendants and the society are not deprived of the last window of opportunity provided by the constitution for the resolution of the case.”
Ipaye also denied that the state government forced residents of the Badia East out of their homes in breach of the persons’ rights and international standards.
The Attorney-General was reacting to a report on Monday by a rights group, Amnesty International, and a non-governmental organisation, Social and Economic Action Centre.
In the 66-page report entitled, ‘If you love your life, move out! Forced eviction in Badia East, Lagos State, Nigeria’ the groups called on Governor Babatunde Fashola to “publicly commit to stopping forced evictions in Lagos.”
The group also urged the state government to resettle the evicted residents and pay them adequate compensation for their destroyed properties.
Ipaye, who said the victims would be compensated “on humanitarian ground”, added that adequate notice was given to them to vacate the place, which he said they occupied “illegally.”
He said, “Despite contrary suggestions in the report, I want to reiterate the Lagos State Government’s commitment to the welfare of its residents and the protection of their rights. We have the largest rights protection programme of any government in Nigeria and are committed maintaining its effectiveness.”
The Punch