Wale Igbintade
Lawyers representing Mr. Hammed Tajudeen Akanbi have accused the police of abusing investigative powers and violating court directives in the handling of allegations linking their client to murder, attempted murder, and destruction of property.
The allegations were contained in a detailed rejoinder issued by Akanbi’s counsel, Mr. Adedotun Ajulo, in response to recent comments by human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana.
Falana had earlier expressed concerns over what he described as a recurring pattern of weak prosecution and alleged cover-ups in murder cases involving politically exposed and influential individuals in Nigeria.
However, Akanbi’s legal team argued that the investigation into their client had been marred by procedural irregularities, unlawful police actions, and attempts to subject him to public ridicule before any formal charges were established.
The lawyers specifically accused former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Moshood, of bias and abuse of process in the management of the case.
According to the statement, Akanbi was declared wanted on February 19, 2026, without first being invited by the police or subjected to any valid court order authorising such action.
Ajulo argued that the declaration violated established legal procedures and constitutional safeguards protecting citizens under criminal investigation.
“The intervention by the Learned Silk is not only premature but patently reckless, legally unsustainable, and unbecoming of a practitioner of his standing,” the statement said while defending Akanbi’s constitutional rights.
The lawyers further alleged that shortly after the declaration, Akanbi’s property in the Ajiran community was invaded and vandalised by “identifiable persons,” while the police allegedly failed to act despite petitions supported with video and photographic evidence.
According to the legal team, concerns over the handling of the matter prompted a petition to the then Inspector General of Police on February 23, 2026.
They claimed the petition led to the withdrawal of the case file from Moshood and its reassignment to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, Lagos, for an independent investigation.
Ajulo also disclosed that an earlier arrest and remand order obtained against Akanbi was later set aside by a competent court.
He added that another court subsequently declined a similar application and instead directed that the businessman be properly invited rather than arrested without due process.
“It was on the strength of these subsisting court orders and the reassignment of the investigation to FCID Alagbon that we, as counsel, advised our client to return to Nigeria to answer the allegations in a lawful manner,” the statement noted.
The lawyers, however, described Akanbi’s eventual arrest in Benin Republic as suspicious and inconsistent with existing judicial directives.
They rejected claims that Akanbi was a fugitive, insisting that his conduct prior to arrest contradicted such allegations.
“If indeed our client were a fugitive, he would have been apprehended at the point of entry into the Benin Republic. No fugitive conducts himself openly within a foreign jurisdiction driving a Nigerian-registered SUV conspicuously customised with his own name, as our client did,” the statement added.
The legal team also condemned Akanbi’s public parade in handcuffs and leg chains on April 20, 2026, describing it as “a disgraceful media spectacle” allegedly designed to humiliate him and prejudice ongoing investigations.
According to the lawyers, another petition later resulted in the withdrawal of the case file from Moshood for a second time and its reassignment within the police hierarchy.
Ajulo maintained that the actions taken against his client undermined the constitutional presumption of innocence guaranteed under Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution.
The lawyers also faulted Falana’s public demand for prosecution, arguing that no court had found Akanbi guilty of any offence and that investigations were still ongoing.
They further claimed that none of the suspects currently facing trial in connection with the killings had implicated Akanbi in their statements, insisting that there was no evidential or circumstantial link between their client and the accused persons already before the court.
“One would have expected a figure of his repute to interrogate these inconsistencies, not weaponise them against an untried citizen,” Ajulo said.
The statement warned that legal action could be taken against individuals allegedly spreading misinformation capable of undermining Akanbi’s constitutional rights and fair hearing protections.
“The administration of criminal justice in Nigeria must never be reduced to a spectacle dictated by media narratives or influential voices. It must remain anchored on evidence, due process, and the sanctity of the Constitution,” the statement added.