Owode-Onirin Bloodbath: Police, Lagos Justice Ministry On Conscience Trial – Says Rights Group

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the group stated that instead of justice, Nigerians are yet again confronted with a disgraceful drama of impunity, compromise, and abuse of state power.

This was contained in a press release by the president of CHSR, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, who led a protest with other civil rights groups to the State Secretariat at Alausa, Lagos.

CHSR stated:

The Nigeria Police Force, rather than upholding its constitutional duty to protect lives and property, has once again chosen the path of cover-up and selective justice:

The three Policemen involved in the killings were whisked away to Abuja instead of being tried in Lagos, where the crime occurred. This transfer is nothing but an orchestrated attempt to shield them from public scrutiny and deny the victims’ families justice.

The so-called orderly room trial that freed the officers on flimsy claims of “self-defence” is a mockery of justice. Self-defence cannot be claimed against unarmed traders defending their shops and livelihoods.

The release of notorious land grabber, Abiodun (Hakeem) Ariori, who masterminded this violence, reeks of Police compromise and corruption. His bail application was deliberately left unchallenged by the Police, a clear evidence of collusion.

To worsen the tragedy, families of the deceased are being extorted to pay huge sums for post-mortems before reclaiming their loved ones’ remains. This exploitation of grief is barbaric, inhuman, and unacceptable.

We are equally alarmed by the recent remarks of the Attorney General of Lagos State, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN). His statement that the Owode-Onirin crisis was not linked to land grabbing but to “another topic of crisis” is reckless, misleading, and insulting to the dead and their families.

From the onset, CHSR maintained that the Ministry of Justice cannot be trusted to prosecute this case impartially, given its suspicious disposition towards protecting Abiodun Ariori, who has long been accused of violent land-grabbing in Lagos.

By downplaying the massacre, the Attorney General has delegitimized the victims’ pain, exonerated the perpetrators by narrative manipulation, and reinforced the perception that justice in Lagos is for sale to the rich and politically connected.

The Owode-Onirin massacre is not just about a market, land dispute, or traders, it is a litmus test of Nigeria’s justice system. What we are witnessing is:

– State-sanctioned injustice,

– Criminal collaboration between land grabbers and rogue Police officers, and

-A justice Ministry that serves the powerful, not the people.

1. Federal Government Intervention – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must order an independent probe into the killings, the role of the Nasarawa State Police Command, and the conduct of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice.

2. Re-arrest and Prosecution – The three Policemen and land grabber, Abiodun Ariori, must be re-arrested and prosecuted in Lagos Courts, not in Abuja or elsewhere.

3. End Police Impunity – The Inspector-General of Police must end the practice of transferring cases to shield officers from accountability. Nigerians deserve a Police force that protects, not exterminates.

4. Respect for Victims’ Families – The Lagos State Government must immediately release the bodies of the victims to their families without further financial exploitation. Grieving families must not be punished for crimes committed against them.

5. Independent Oversight – We call on the National Human Rights Commission, Nigerian Bar Association, and credible civil society coalitions to closely monitor this case and resist every attempt to sweep it under the carpet.

CONCLUSION:

The blood of the Owode-Onirin victims cries for justice. Lagos cannot claim to be a centre of excellence while tolerating state-sponsored land grabbing, Police killings, and judicial compromise.

The CHSR will not be silent. If the government fails to act, we shall mobilize local and international advocacy until justice is served.

Justice delayed is justice denied. Justice denied is democracy betrayed.” CHSR stated.