Confidence Cargo Chairman, Dada Aigbe Remanded In Kirikiri Prison By Nigerian High Court Over Contempt Not Taken To Jail After 23 Days

A Lagos High Court order that the Chairman of Confidence Cargo, Freight Forwarder, Mr. Dada Aigbe be committed to prison for contempt, has not been implemented 23 days later. 

Last Friday, SaharaReporters reported that Justice M.A. Savage of the Lagos State High Court, Lands Division, had ordered the remand of Mr. Aigbe in Kirikiri Prison.

SaharaReporters learnt that he was remanded for disobeying a court order and interfering in a land case, to which he was not a party.

The land matter is between the Claimant, Oba Shakirudeen Adeshina Kuti (for himself and on behalf of the Abolarinwa family) and the Osolo of Isolo, Oba Agbabiaka Kabiru Orisedeko Kuti and the Baale of Mafoluku, Ajao Estate, Hussam Raheem Shekoni Elemo, who are the Defendants.

The Claimant in the petition filed before the court alleged that Aigbe and his thugs invaded his ancestral family land situated along Airport Road, Ewu Town, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos.

The case was investigated by the Federal Ccrimal Investigation Department (FCID) SWAT Annex, Lagos before it was transferred to FCID SWAT, Abuja through an endorsed petition dated October 27, 2023, for further investigation.

It was gathered that upon the receipt of the petition, a team of SWAT operatives led by Inspector Murtala Folorunsho left for Lagos on November 8, 2023 to investigate the matter.

It was learnt that on arrival, the petitioners were contacted and their statements were recorded voluntarily.

The disputed land was visited on November 9, 2023 at about noon and revisited on November 11, 2023 at about 2 pm. Based on the directives of the DIG FCID that parties should interview him on November 14, 2023, parties interviewed the DIG. The suspect’s statement was recorded under caution.

During the course of the investigation, both parties presented documents justifying their ownership of the disputed land for verification.

Subsequently, a letter was sent to the Surveyor General Office, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos as well as the Appeal Court, Lagos Division, where the case was determined in favour of the Ajamogun and Onikotun families and against the Elemo Family in 2019.

Justice F. Bankole-Oki of the Lagos State High Court in March 2019 delivered a holding that the Claimant was the original owner of the disputed land.

Justice Bankole-Oki in the judgment declared “that the Claimant is the original owner of all the entire land consisting of an area of 5329.30 Acres, particularly described in Survey Plan No. AB676D dated 4/6/1963 made by Surveyor A.B Apatira.

“That the land in dispute in this case situate along Airport Road, Ewu Village, Ikeja Local Government, particularly described in Survey Plan NO. AP 2996/F dated20/3/1981 made by Surveyor A.B Apatira forms part of the land of the Claimant's family in Survey Plan No. AB676 D dated 4/6/1963.”

The judge issued “An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendants, their agents, privies or anybody claiming through them from further trespassing on the land in dispute.”

The court thereafter issued a bench warrant against Mr Aigbe and ordered that he should be committed to Kirikiri Prison for one month until he purged himself of the contempt of the court and filed an affidavit.

 

The judge also ordered that Aigbe must henceforth not disobey the court or any court order. The warrant dated March 11, 2024, was signed by the court's Chief Executive Officer, Mrs A. O. Lasisi.

However, it was gathered that, after the suspect, Aigbe was arrested, by the officers at the NAHCO Airport, he was handed over to the Crack Squad. 

SaharaReporters learnt that he was subsequently released contrary to the order of the court.

At the time of filing this report, SaharaReporters learnt that the suspect was at his workplace at NAHCO Airport Road in disobedience to the court order.

When SaharaReporters contacted the Lagos Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the correctional facility, Mr. Rotimi Oladokun, on Thursday, he explained that if the police had brought the suspect in, it would be documented in their office.

After checks, Oladokun said, “As at 3/4/2024 there is no record of the named person in our custodial centre.

“Kindly contact the arresting or persecuting agency.”