By Ayodele Oni
Legal dispute has deepened over claim by the Ondo state Attorney General and commissioner for Justice, Olukayode Ajulo, SAN over his claim that there was no existing court order to warrant the arrest of the commissioner for women affairs, Dr Seun Osamaye for allegedly assaulting a magistrate.
Already, there are conflicting positions over an alleged warrant of arrest issued against the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Seun Osamaye, over an assault allegation involving a magistrate.
A lawyer based in Ondo State, Mr. Wale Odusola has challenged the position of the Attorney General who recently declared that there was no verified or duly served court order authorising Osamaye’s arrest.
The disagreement is linked to reports that a Magistrate Court presided over by Magistrate Damilola Sekoni allegedly issued a warrant of arrest last year after Osamaye was accused of verbally and physically assaulting the Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Temitope Alphonso, during an official visit to the Ministry of Women Affairs.
Despite widespread reports of the alleged warrant, Osamaye has continued to attend public functions, a development that has generated debate within the legal community and among members of the public over whether a valid court order exists and why it has not been enforced.
In response to the controversy, the Attorney General released a detailed statement insisting that no lawful basis exists for the commissioner’s arrest.
According to Ajulo, there is no documentary evidence before his office or any relevant authority confirming that a written court order or warrant of arrest was issued and duly served.
“There is no material evidence before the Office of the Attorney General and/or any other person or authority confirming the existence of any written court order or warrant of arrest that has been duly issued and served.
“Governance and law enforcement do not operate on hearsay, assumptions, or social media commentaries, but strictly on duly issued legal instruments,” Ajulo said.
However, Odusola faulted the Attorney General’s explanation, describing it as misleading and inconsistent with established legal procedures.
Reacting in a social media post, the lawyer argued that the Attorney General’s emphasis on “service” of a warrant of arrest showed a misunderstanding of how such warrants are executed under Nigerian law.
“Do they serve warrant of arrest or order of arrest on the person the order is to be enforced against?” Odusola queried. “I don’t know who the AG was expecting the warrant of arrest to be served on when he made that statement.”
He explained that arrest warrants are not served on suspects or on the Attorney General’s office.
According to him, once a warrant is issued by a court, it is transmitted through court officials to the Commissioner of Police for execution.
“The Commissioner of Police then directs officers to arrest the person concerned, take them into custody, and produce them before the court,” he said.
Odusola questioned why the Attorney General would expect to personally receive or sight an arrest warrant.
“Who exactly was the AG expecting the warrant to be served on? Was he expecting it to be served on his office?” he asked.
He argued that the procedure surrounding arrest warrants is clear and should not be unnecessarily complicated, accusing government officials of attempting to mislead the public.
Odusola further suggested that the matter might eventually be resolved outside the courtroom.
“They should just go and settle their matter politically. We all know the matter will be resolved politically,” he said.
He concluded by alleging unequal application of justice in the country.
“We all know that our laws are only made for the poor man pikin, not the rich and the powerful,” Odusola added.
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