Nigerian Scouts To Wait In Battle Against Oyo Govt

The suit filed by the Scout Association of Nigeria at the Oyo State High Court 7 against the state government has been adjourned till 17 January.

P.M.NEWS gathered that Justice Eni Esan who is presiding over the matter went for a crucial judicial meeting.

The association dragged the Oyo State Government to court for trespassing on its land located at the scout camp off Challenge Road, Molete, Ibadan, southwest Nigeria. The government has gone beyond trespassing on the land as at the time of filing this report but taken it over completely.

The state government had demolished the structures on the land and fenced it,  with security men manning the place and not allowing the scouts to have access to the land.

The government had through announcement and advertorials indicated that the camp would be a location for one of the 27 modern markets to be built in the state capital.

At the last court sitting, counsel to the plaintiff, Obafunso Ogunkeye in his argument said that the defendants must first purge themselves of the contempt burden before they could be heard by the court.

The state government has continuously disregarded the interim injunction of the court by going ahead with the demolition of the main building of the scout association at the scout camp.

Ogunkeye expressed surprise at the attitude of the state government while calling on its counsel to assist the court. He also reminded the court that at the last adjourned date, the state government had no legal representation.

He informed the court that the demolition of the main building of the Scout Association of Nigeria was done with the full protection of Operation Burst operatives.

In his argument, counsel to the state government, O.O. Tijani, Deputy Director of Litigation and Advisory Services applied for a stay of proceeding insisting that he was not aware of the state government’s disregard of the court order.

—Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan