Lagos State Government is not prepared to concede to the Federal Government of Nigeria on the Supreme Court judgment on the profession of Magodo.

The FGN had actually implicated the state of postponing the enforcement of the February 10, 2012, judgement in fit no. SC/112/2002.

On January 5, Abubakar Malami, Attorney General and Justice Minister, decried the attack on President Muhammadu Buhari.

The AGF’s response followed South-West Governors’ condemnation after a Chief Superintendent of Police told Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu that officers deployed to Magodo would not leave.

Malami told them that his office “belongs to the Executive arm of the Government, while the Supreme Court belongs to the Judiciary.”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) slammed their “unjustifiable insinuation of impunity” over the execution of a judgment of the Supreme Court.

He remembered that the decision was provided in 2012, long prior to the start of the Buhari administration.

“The judgment was a reaffirmation of the judgments of the Court of Appeal and High Court delivered on 31st December, 1993.”

The AGF advised the Governors to “unravel” what’s preventing Lagos government from enforcing the order “despite attempts from 2012- 2015 and so-called settlement effort began in 2016.”

On Friday, the state announced that it had gone back to the Supreme Court. Gbenga Omotoso, Information Commissioner, provided an upgrade on the settlement.

He stated following Sanwo-Olu’s intervention, Lagos authorities and agents of the Shangisha Landlords Association (the judgment lenders) held a series of conferences.

“At the stated conferences two concerns occurred: There was a major department among the judgment financial institutions regarding who had the right or controlled to represent the Association; and

“The demand by the judgment financial institutions that a single global Certificate of Occupancy ought to be issued in the name of the Association instead of the position of the State Government that each of the 549 members of the Association would be given allotment letters separately.

“Given the sharp divide between the two factions of the judgment lenders on who has authority to represent the Association and the disagreement regarding whom the Certificate of Occupancy should be issued (collectively or separately), the State Government has actually approached the Supreme Court to seek more instructions and clarifications on both issues.”

Omotoso confirmed that Judgment Creditors have been served with the application.

The declaration reiterated the Lagos federal government commitment to adhere to the Supreme Court judgement “once these 2 problems are fixed.”