7th May, 2012
A warrant of arrest has been issued by Justice Olatoregun Isola of the Lagos Federal High Court against the Lagos Chairman of Butchers Association, Alhaji Sulaimon Afuwape, for failing to appear in court.
The case between the Executive of Butchers Association had been in court since 2010 and on 11 May, 2010, Justice Isola gave judgement that the Executive must be dissolved and that a 1O-Man Committee be set up to conduct a fresh election.
P.M.NEWS investigation revealed that within 14 days members of the Lagos Butchers Association elected a new executive headed by Alhaji Rafiu Adisa Elewide, as chairman.
But after the election, Afuwape was still parading himself as chairman of butchers’ assosication, hence the warrant of arrest issued against him for contempt of court.
Speaking with P.M.NEWS, Elewide said: “The court has ordered for the arrest of Afuwape, and the police are on his trail for contempt of court. He had been the chairman for 14 years with no proper accountability.
“The warrant of arrest dated 25 April, 2012 was addressed to the Area Commander, Area ‘F’ Ikeja, and all police officer, for the arrest of Alhaji Sulaimon Afuwape of Ogunmokun Street, Babalosha, Mushin, Lagos.
“When we took the warrant to Area ‘F’ the police said it was not their jurisdiction, that we should go to the Area Commander at area ‘D’ and from there to Olosan Police Division, Mushin. But unfortunately when the police stormed his place he had escaped.
“On 17 January, 2010, we got another ruling at Federal High Court Ikoyi that our own election was authentic and the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives wrote to us on 7 October, 2011,wishing us well in our endeavours as the new executives of Lagos State Butchers’ Association.’’
—Oluwole Adeboye