A petition has been sent to Lagos State’s Commissioner of Police by the Lagos State Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN).
Additionally, the SWAN chapter has forwarded copies of the petition to the state’s House of Assembly and Department of State Services (DSS) (LAHA).
The petition, according to the chapter’s secretary Bunmi Ogunyale, was filed because of alleged intimidation by a group that claimed to be the “Caretaker Committee”.
“This group has been parading itself as the caretaker committee of the Lagos chapter of the association in spite of an existing court order,” he said.
Ogunyale claimed that the group’s plans to perform what he called a “kangaroo election on Tuesday made the petition even more necessary.
”This is in furtherance of their contempt of court and total disrespect for a court order.”
According to him, providing troops for such an illegal and unauthorized gathering would be “a clear breach of a subsisting order of the court” and he warned against any support from the Police or any other security agency.
”It will be tantamount to contempt of the court,” Ogunyale said on behalf of Lagos State SWAN.
He pointed out that a petition had earlier been written on behalf of the Lagos Chapter of SWAN by Salami T. Agbaje ESQ.
“This latest attempt by this group is blatant disobedience of a binding mandatory order barring disputing parties from taking any step in the subject matter until Monday, Oct. 17, 2022, and it was delivered on July 27.
“This was sequel to suit number NICN/LA/165/2022 filed by Lagos SWAN pending before the Administrative Judge of National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Lagos Division, Honourable Justice M. N. Esowe.
”It is between Adebowale Olajire Oshundun and others against Aaron Akerejola, Olatutu Oladunni, Oluwole Alakija and others.
“The petition was copied to the Director, DSS, Lagos State Command, Honourable Justice M.N Esowe, National Industrial Court, Ikoyi; Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Alusa.
“Also copied were the Assistant Inspector General, Zone 2, Onikan and the Nigerian Union of Journalists.”
Ogunyale noted that with the assistance of the police, the self-styled Caretaker Committee at Lagos SWAN has continued to intimidate the Association’s law-abiding members.
The chapter purported that the Police in Lagos state “have been giving cover to the group following the invasion and forceful take-over of the chapter’s secretariat” situated inside the National Stadium in Lagos on Feb. 11.
The Lagos State Police Command was then urged in the petition to decline any requests for officers to assist the organisation in holding what it referred to as unlawful and illegal elections.
”Such will be a brazen assault on the rule of law.”
