There was drama at Magodo Phase II Estate in Lagos on Tuesday, December 4, 2021, when the governor of the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu visited to address the lingering dispute in the embattled estate.
The Street Journal earlier reported how residents staged a protest against the heavy security presence in the estate.
The protesters also prayed the governor for his intervention to prevent the planned demolition of houses in the estate.
However, during the Sanwu-Olu’s visit, an unnamed Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) openly defied the governor when he was asked to gather his men and disembark from the state.
The CSP said he and his men were at the estate on the directive of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba and the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
Despite Sanwu-Olu saying he had spoken to the AGF and saying that the AGF was not aware of the police presence at the estate, the CSP maintained that he and his men would wait for the call before they disengage.
Sanwo-Olu said, “Can you call your superiors in Abuja and tell them that the governor is here and as the Chief Security Officer, you don’t have any business being in my state right now and that I want you to disengage right now?”
But the CSP replied, “I am here on the instruction of the Inspector General of Police through the AGF. I am too small or too low to call them. Your Excellency sir, you can call them sir.”
When asked by the governor of the number of police operatives at the estate, the defiant CSP said, “My men are here; they are all over the place, I cannot precisely tell you how many we are. For security purpose, I cannot tell you the number.”
Sanwu-Olu thereafter turned to journalists and declared the police invasion of the estate illegal adding that, “They (policemen) are not from the Lagos State Police Command. They said they are from Abuja.
“I don’t know what other interest they have beyond keeping the peace of the country. This is not an expectation that I expect from them because they don’t have any business here.”
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