Three kingmakers and members of Oyomesi on Friday petitioned the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, claiming that law enforcement agents were making attempts to arrest them on the order of the Oyo State Governor, Engr ‘Seyi Makinde.
The concerned kingmakers had last month dragged Governor Makinde before the to court over what they described as unlawful use of the Oyo State anti-corruption agency to harass and intimidate them.
The aggrieved members of the Oyo traditional cabinet comprising the Yusuf Akinade, Basorun of Oyo; Wakeel Akindele, Lagunna of Oyo, and Hamzat Yusuf, Akinniku of Oyo, also accused the governor of threat of arrests.
In a letter to the court through their lawyer, Kunle Sobaloju SAN, the three Oyo chiefs said they were surprised that law enforcement agents made attempts to arrest them on Thursday, February 14, 2025 while their suit was still pending before the court.
They urged the court to protect their fundamental human rights and prevent end the Governor from witch-hunting them.
“On the 13th of February, 2025, the respondents’ agents and policemen in mufti bombarded Oyo town in Oyo State vehicle with registration number 01A-289 OY to effect the arrest of our clients in utter disregard of the pending application before this court.
“When they did not meet them at home, they laid siege to their premises till 12am, clearly demonstrating their intent to arrest, detain, intimidate, harass and persecute them.
“A picture of the bus is attached herewith. It is trite law that when parties have submitted their dispute to court, none of the parties is allowed to take law into his hands,” the letter read.
Sobaloju added that the petition was to draw the attention of the court to the alleged threat of arrest, unlawful detention, and unlawful prosecution of his clients by the aforementioned agencies.
“We consider this continued harassment and intimidation a flagrant disregard for the authority of this Honourable Court and a serious interference with the due process of law.
“The timing of these actions, immediately following the service of court documents, raises serious concerns about their motivation and appears to be a deliberate attempt to undermine the proceedings before this Court,” Sobaloju added.
