A suit seeking fresh investigations into the
murder of a late governorship aspirant in Lagos
State, Funsho Williams, was on Monday re-listed
before a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The applicant, Bashir Junaid, re-approached the
court after the same suit was struck out on April
29, 2015 by Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia for
want of diligent prosecution.
The judge, however, allowed the suit to be
returned onto the list after entertaining a fresh
motion and argument from the plaintiff’s
counsel, Tunji Adesheye, on Monday.
Junaid, a cemetery attendant, who was arrested
and detained by the police during preliminary
investigation into Williams’ murder, filed the suit
seeking a mandamus order compelling the
Inspector General of Police to conduct fresh
investigations with the possibility of a fresh trial.
The applicant, who is seeking N5bn as
exemplary damages, joined a former Governor of
Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, and 10 others as the
respondents.
Williams, who was strangled to death in his
Dolphin Estate residence, Ikoyi, Lagos, on July
27, 2006, was a governorship aspirant on the
platform of the Peoples Democratic Party
competing with Tinubu.
Junaid, in his 48-рaragraph ѕtаtеmеnt оf сlаim,
alleged that the police disregarded his freely
made statement, which could have assisted to
unravel Williams’ killers.
He claimed that the concrete evidence that he
tendered were diѕсаrded bу thе Fеdеrаl Central
Invеѕtigаtiоnѕ Dераrtmеnt, Alagbon, Lagos.
Junaid, who alleged that Tinubu used his
influence with the police to exonerate himself,
equally accused the police of compromise by
allegedly allowing the legal adviser to the All
Progressives Congress, Dr. Muiz Banire, to
change his statement after he had been
cautioned.
At the Monday’s proceedings, Adesheye
informed the court that in compliance with an
earlier order of the court before the suit was
struck out, his client had effected personal
service of the concurrent writ of summons on the
defendants that were outside the court’s
jurisdiction.
The lawyer went on to urge the court to grant the
motion seeking to re-list the suit in the interest of
justice, saying the defendants would not be
prejudiced in anyway whatsoever if same was
granted.
But counsel for the 1st and 4th defendants,
Kingson Uwandu, while opposing Adesheye’s
submission, pointed out that the plaintiff had yet
to pay the N25,000 fine placed on him by the
court when the matter was struck out.
Uwandu said it was improper for the plaintiff,
who had failed to comply with an order of the
court, to turn around seeking a favour from the
same court.
But when probed by the court on when the order
for the payment of the N25,000 fine was made
against the plaintiff, Uwandu said he could not
remember because he was not with the case file.
Further hearing in the matter has been adjourned
till September 29, 2015.