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Sanwo-Olu Swears-in Lagos CJ, Vows to Partner FG to Decongest Prisons
Lagos State will partner its newly sworn-in Acting Chief Judge and the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the problem of prison congestion, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said Thursday.
The governor spoke while swearing-in the state’s acting chief judge, Justice Kazeem Alogba, at the Lagos House.
Sanwo-Olu said the issue of prison congestion has been a major challenge to the state judicial system, saying it was not acceptable.
“The current situation where we have over 70 per cent of prison inmates as awaiting trial is not acceptable and it is a shame to our judicial system,” he said.
The governor told Alogba that the judiciary and the state as a whole would benefit from his wealth of knowledge and experience “as each of the three arms of government work together to achieve our collective dream of a greater Lagos”.
“We have absolute confidence in your ability and capacity to sustain and build on the enviable system, which the state has built over the years, particularly starting from 1999 under the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu with the introduction of critical reforms in the judiciary.
“You have always been part of that process and contributed immensely to the implementation of the reform. We believe you will use your wide range of experience to build on that system.”
Justice Alogba promised that the judiciary would ensure that the governor achieves his goals.
He stated that it would be easy to solve the major problems confronting the state, especially the traffic and environment problems like driving against traffic and indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
According to him, the solution is in enforcing the laws, advising that offenders should be made to serve their sentences where they committed the offence.
Doing so, the acting chief judge said, would make people feel ashamed and the number of offenders would go down since nobody wants to be identified as an ex-convict.
He said those who dump refuse indiscriminately should be made to sweep and clear the refuse in the locality where they were caught doing so.
He solicited for the assistance of the governor to achieve his objectives to raise the bar of the state judiciary.
The Nation
Headlines
‘Hands off’: Millions of People Join Protests Against Trump and Elon Musk Across All US States
Millions of people took part in protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across all 50 states and globally on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement over “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms.
According to CNN, over 1,400 “Hands Off!” mass-action protests were held at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country – anywhere “we can make sure they hear us,” organizers said.
“Hands Off!” demands “an end to this billionaire power grab.”
“Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers state. “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.”
Nearly 600,000 people had signed up to attend the events, some of which took place in major cities like London and Paris, according to Indivisible, one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates.
Organizers say they have three demands: “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”
Commissioner of Police, CP Olajide Rufus Ibitoye, acting on the orders of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, through the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in-charge of Force Intelligence Department (FID) Abuja, has extended an invitation to the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, for an “investigative meeting with regards to an incident that occurred during the Sallah celebration within your domain”.
The said incident is in connection with the violence that broke out during the recent Eid-el-Fitr procession in Kano, which resulted in the death of a local vigilante member.
The incident happened as the Emir’s entourage moved from the Eid prayer ground to the palace in a traditional procession. The clash, which marred the otherwise peaceful celebration, led to the tragic loss of life of a vigilante member, Surajo Rabiu, and left one other injured.
The invitation was conveyed in an official letter dated April 4, 2025, and signed by Commissioner of Police, CP Olajide Rufus Ibitoye, on behalf of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in-charge of Force Intelligence Department (FID) Abuja.
The letter reads: “I have the directives of the Inspector General of Police, through the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Intelligence Department (FID), to invite you for an investigative meeting with regards to an incident that occurred during the Sallah celebration within your domain.”
The Emir has been requested to appear before the Force Intelligence Department in Abuja, opposite the Police Headquarters, Area 11, by 10:00am on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
This development comes amid heightened tensions in Kano State following the earlier decision by the State Police Command to ban the annual Durbar festival due to security concerns. The ban, announced days before the Eid-el-Fitr celebration, was intended to prevent any possible breakdown of law and order during the festive period.
However, despite the suspension of the Durbar, a motorcade procession of Emir Sanusi II still took place on the third day of the Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.
The Kano State Police Commissioner, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, had also inaugurated an eight-member Special Investigation Panel (SIP) to investigate the violence.
As at the time of this report, there has been no official response from the Emir Sanusi II’s palace regarding the Police invitation.
Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the political adviser to President Bola Tinubu, has resigned his appointment.
Reports say the former spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) tendered his resignation about two weeks ago.
Further reports quoting presidency sources did not, however, provide details of the reasons for his decision, but only stated that it was on personal grounds.
Baba-Ahmed was appointed in September 2023 as Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Office of Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Over the past 17 months, he had represented the presidency at several public fora, including a recent national conference themed: “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity”, which held from January 28 and 29, 2025 in Abuja.
