Again, Court Stops Lagos Assembly from Probing Fashola

Written by This Day Wednesday, 12 May 2010

Justice Opeyemi Oke of the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja yesterday restrained a seven-man Ad-hoc committee set up by the Lagos State House of Assembly to probe allegations of financial impropriety levelled against the administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) by a group, The True Face of Lagos.

He  also restrained the panel and its agents from proceeding with the investigation pending the determination of the motion on notice.
The judge granted the interim injunction, following an ex-parte application by a journalist and human rights activist, Mr. Richard Akinnola.  Lawyer to Akinnola, Mr.  Bamidele Aturu, had argued the application dated May 4 on Tuesday.

After listening to the argument of Aturu, the judge said, “An interim injunction restraining the defendant whether by itself, agents, members, officers, privies, committees or by whomsoever howsoever from proceeding with or acting on the purported investigation of allegation of financials impropriety leveled against the Executive arm of Lagos State Government by a group which calls itself 'The True face of Lagos.
“The applicant shall enter into an undertaking within 24 hours as to damages in favour of the respondent together with the originating processes.

“The motion on notice already filed shall be served accordingly on the respondents together with the originating processes.” 
The case was later adjourned to May 19.  It would be recalled that Akinnola had earlier sued the Assembly before Justice Habeeb Abiru of a Lagos High Court in Ikorodu while the judge had on March 16 restrained the Assembly from going ahead with the probe. The activist later filed an appeal against part of the verdict of Justice Abiru at the Court of Appeal in Lagos.

The seven-man panel was later set up by the Assembly just as the new suit was said to have been brought before Justice Oke following the alleged reluctance of the state Assembly to maintain status quo, having been reportedly served the pending notice of appeal.