We have not given up on Al-Mustapha’s case –Lagos govt
Lagos State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Ade Ipaiye, has said that the state government is still pursuing an appeal against the ruling of the Court of Appeal that granted freedom to Major Hamza Al-Mustapha.
Major Al-Mustapha, who was sentenced to death by a Lagos High Court, but granted freedom by an Appeal Court, was accused of ordering a security agent to kill the wife of Moshood Abiola.
Speaking yesterday, the state Attorney-General debunked reports that the state government has backed down on the appeal.
“The state’s intention to appeal the judgement that freed Al-Mustapha is still subsisting. What the Appeal Court requires from us is to file an appeal within a stipulated period of time. It is because we couldn’t get our appeal heard within the stipulated time that we had to re-file the matter at the Supreme Court. What we have done is not to withdraw the appeal. We are still at application stage; we are now waiting the hearing date which we think will come up soon at the Supreme Court,” he said.
On why the state government seems not to have regards for the Freedom of Information Act, Ipaiye said the state has no reason not to abide with the Act.
“We are not opposed to the Act, but we have our own FOI bill under process at the Lagos State House of Assembly. As soon as it is passed, we would be bound by it. We are not bound by federal statute. As at today, Lagos is the most pressured for information, particularly by non-governmental organisations, human rights groups and the likes; we cannot give all information required from us because of security implication and administrative work. We give what we have on demand,” he said.