An Ogun State businessman, Ashiru Azeez, has petitioned the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade, seeking a review of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions' legal advice in a case involving alleged assault, theft, and other offences. Azeez, through his counsel, Ayodeji Ifonlaja, made the demand in a petition sent to the Ministry of Justice on April 16, 2026. The petition followed an incident on February 24, 2026, in which Azeez and other victims were allegedly violently attacked, physically assaulted, and robbed of money and valuables by suspects armed with cutlasses, sticks, and other dangerous weapons.
According to Ifonlaja, the police had initially preferred about nine counts against the defendants based on the outcome of their investigation. However, following the issuance of the DPP's legal advice, several of those serious counts were omitted, leaving principally assault-related allegations which attract significantly lesser penal consequences. The lawyer said the charges eventually preferred against the suspects did not adequately reflect the gravity of the alleged offences. Azeez had arrived at Odugboro GRA Extension, Makun, Sagamu, for a family meeting and found members of his family sitting on the floor.
Azeez intervened after receiving a call from the then Commissioner of Police, Alamutu, and found blood flowing at the scene following the attack. He said one of his phones was returned, while the other was later tracked to the Lekki area of Lagos State. About eight members of the alleged gang were eventually arrested following persistent efforts by the family, but only one was arraigned. According to Azeez, the police initially filed nine counts, including assault occasioning harm, malicious damage, and stealing.
However, only one suspect was arraigned out of the eight arrested, and that was because the police had alleged all of them jumped bail. The family subsequently petitioned the DPP to take over the case, after which emissaries allegedly approached them to negotiate the withdrawal of the case. Unfortunately, the case file got stuck somewhere within the State Ministry of Justice, and the family grew concerned about the handling of the matter.
Ifonlaja said the disappearance of the case file had heightened his client's concerns about the handling of the matter. The lawyer said the DPP's legal advice subsequently acknowledged that a prima facie case existed against the defendants. Having reached such a conclusion after acknowledging that the suspects jointly attacked the victims with dangerous weapons and dispossessed them of valuables, it remains difficult to reconcile the omission of several grave offences from the charges eventually recommended for prosecution.
Ifonlaja also alleged that the suspects who benefited from the legal advice had continued to enjoy their liberty on bail while the victims awaited justice. He further alleged that Azeez had experienced another criminal matter in 2024 in which suspects were released despite the outcome of a police investigation. According to him, the recurring experience had raised concerns in his client's mind about whether victims of violent crimes would receive adequate protection under the law.
The Ogun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ogungbade, said the DPP's decision was based on the facts contained in the police case file and the circumstances surrounding the incident. Ogungbade explained that prosecutors had discretion, within the law, to determine appropriate charges based on the facts of a case and the interest of justice. He said the case arose from a land dispute between the parties and involved an alleged disruption of a meeting on the disputed property, during which some people were assaulted and money was allegedly missing.
Key points
- The businessman, Ashiru Azeez, is seeking a review of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions' legal advice.
- The incident involved alleged assault, theft, and other offences.
- The Ogun State Attorney-General has defended the DPP's decision, citing prosecutorial discretion.
