By Innocent Anaba
A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Ken Nwanna, has petitioned the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, protesting the turn of events in his client’s case pending before Justice Adesanya of a Lagos High Court.
He also accused the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, of frustrating and delaying the case filed since 2024 without the arraignment of the Chinese suspects in a seven-count charge brought against them by the Inspector General of Police, IGP, over forgery of residence permit, human trafficking, conspiracy, misdemeanor and conduct capable of causing breach of the peace.
The lawyer, representing the nominal complainant, in the petition alleged attempts to frustrate the prosecution of the defendants in charge No: LD/24383C/24, the IGP vs Wang Kepeng & 16 Ors, pending before Justice Adesanya, and being prosecuted by the Inspector General of Police.
Nwanna, in this petition said that before the charge was raised and filed before the Lagos High Court by the police, the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Abuja thoroughly investigated the case when it was reported, and discovered, after a prima facie case has been established against the Chinese suspects, that in connivance with other suspects, allegedly forged Nigerian expatriate quotas and residence permits for their own legal use, which made the police to file the criminal charges against them at the High Court of Lagos.
He further alleged that since 2024 the charge was filed at the High Court of Lagos, the 15 Chinese suspects have consistently failed to appear in court to be arraigned and to take their pleas.According to the lawyer, all these alleged claims by these foreigners formed part of what the police investigated and came to the conclusion that the Chinese have a case to answer, hence the charge that was brought against them at the high court.
According to the lawyer, while his client was eagerly waiting for the suspects to be brought to court to take their plea, they were alarmed when they received a letter: LJP/MISC/2025/21 from the DPP, Lagos through the AG’s office, requesting for a duplicate copy of the case file for ‘review and legal advice,’ in a case the DPP is aware that the IGP is prosecuting.
His words: “Our client is constrained to question whose interests the DPP is seeking to protect in this matter. We respectfully submit that any attempt whether directly or indirectly to frustrate or shield these high-profile foreign nationals from prosecution would neither serve the public interest nor the interest of justice, and may amount to an abuse of legal process.
“The defendants rather than submit themselves to the jurisdiction of the court and defend the allegations against them, appear determined to evade trial entirely through petitions and backdoor interference. We respectfully submit that the Office of the Attorney General being a sacred public institution, must not be seen as encouraging or lending credence to any form of abuse of power or corrupt influence.”
He argued that why he wanted the office of the AG to stay off the matter without interference was that one the charges against the Chinese deals with human trafficking, a federal offence which is beyond the purview of the state’s prosecutorial powers in line with Section 211 (1) (a) of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999, (as amended).
He, therefore, pleaded with AG saying: “In view of the foregoing, we respectively urge your office to allow the due process of law to take its full course without interference, obstruction or any appearance of compromise.”
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