The Lagos State Government, on Monday, confirmed that it has received the toxicology report and other forensic analysis conducted in the United States on the late singer, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.
The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, who announced this at a press conference to commemorate his first year in office, also revealed that the autopsy report is now with the Lagos State Pathologist, and the coroner magistrate.
“On the Mohbad case,” Pedro said, “yes, I agree there has been a delay, and the delay is caused by time taken for investigation.
“Forensic analysis, toxicology, all these are part of the investigation. Full proof investigation that can lead at least to conviction in a case that is presented before the courts.”
Explaining the rationale behind the decision to conduct the toxicology and forensic analysis in the United States, the Attorney General said the government resorted to that as the Lagos DNA and Forensic Centre had been burnt during the #EndSARS protests of October 2020.
The case of a female lawyer, Otike-Odibi, who killed her lawyer husband, Symphorosa Otike-Odibi, and cut off his manhood, also suffered delay because, according to the AG, the case file was also burnt when hoodlums set the iconic Igbosere High Court ablaze during the EndSARS protests.
He added that the matter had been reassigned to a new judge, Justice Sherifat Sonaike, following the retirement of the trial judge, Justice Adedayo Akintoye.
Assuring that no case would be allowed to last more than 24 months in court henceforth, he disclosed that a bill for the enactment of the Administration of Civil Justice Law had been sent to the state House of Assembly for legislative process.
Pedro assured that once the bill becomes law, no litigation would go beyond 18 to 24 months, while tenancy matters would not take more than three to six months.
“The idea is to ensure that no tenant owes his landlord or the landlord is ejecting his tenant when a matter is before the court,” the Attorney General further explained.
“Notices would be given but we would not allow it to be used as an instrument of oppression by either the tenant or landlord.”
No tenant would be allowed to go away with his landlord’s money under whatever guise.