A Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) identified as Abimbola Oyewole on Monday defied the order of Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu to disengage to vacate from the estate premises.
Amid the protest by residents, Sanwo-Olu arrived at the estate in the company of some of his cabinets including the Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General of the states, Mr. Moyosire Onigbanjo, and the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotosho, among others.
Sanwo Olu had engaged the CSP who led the team on the operation from Abuja and asked them to vacate the estates and leave the state.
But the CSP said he was on the instruction of the IGP, Usman Baba through the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and he would only leave the estate on the directives from the IGP and AGF who deployed them to the estate.
Sanwo Olu then requested that the CSP call his superior and tell them he as the chief security officer of the state wants them to deactivate and leave Lagos now.
“Please, can you call your superior in Abuja that you need to deactivate, and you need to leave Lagos now?” said the governor who was surrounded by government officials, residents, and journalists.
“Can you call your superior in Abuja and tell them that the governor is here, and I am the Chief Security Officer, and that you don’t have any business being in my state right now and that I want you to disengage forthwith from here?”
In his response, the CSP said he is too small and low to call the IGP.
“I am here on the instruction of the Inspector General of Police through the AGF. I am too small or too low to call them. Your Excellency sir, with due respect sir, you can call them directly sir so that they can tell us to come.”
Illegal operation
After some back and forth, Sanwo-Olu described the police invasion as an “illegal operation”. He said he would call the IGP and the AGF.
Not too long after, Sanwo announced that the police officers had been ordered to “stand down” while meeting with the affected parties would at 11am on Wednesday.
