Barr. Tolu Babaleye Wrote On Femi Adekanbi's Arrest

OPEN LETTER TO MR. KOLA OLAWOYE (ATTORNEY GENERAL AND COMMISSIONER FOR JUSTICE ONDO STATE) ON THE ILLEGAL ARREST OF HON. FEMI ADEKANMBI

Egbon, compliments of the season sir, I write you in respect of my friend and Client Hon. Femi Adekanmbi, the immediate past Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture and Tourism of Ondo State who called me this morning and told me about his ordeal in the hands of the Nigerian  Police, Ondo State Command sponsored by your good self on 28th December, 2017 and which is now reported in many of the National dailies.

I felt that it would be appropriate that this letter be written to you in the open to let you know that as the first Law officer in Ondo State, much is expected of you as you are holding that sensitive position in trust for all Citizens of the State and you need to be above board.

I have it on good authority that the petition leading to the arrest of Femi Adekanmbi came from your private firm, Kola Olawoye & CO. While I concede it to you that your private office can still exist while you are the AG of the State, I wish to tell you point blank that it is both immoral and illegal to use your private firm to pen a petition in which the government you represent have interest with the aim of arrest and prosecution of a citizen of Ondo State.

The content of the Petition also gave you and your intention out that your aim is to keep your brother behind bars yesterday and to charge him to court this morning with the aim of taking him to be remanded in Owo Prison just to frustrate his annual thanksgiving service which has become his tradition of over 10 years and commissioning of Water Fountain at Mapo Hall donated by this amiable son of Owo Kingdom and for the progress of Owo.

As the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo State, one would expect that you should have consulted your file and your Director of Public Prosecution so as to be well briefed about the issue that happened at Owo on 24th November, 2016 which you inheritted for which you now want Femi Adekanmbi to be hanged. If you had consulted your files, you would have discovered that a DPP report that exonerated this enigma of a politician is inside you policy file relating to the political fracas at Owo.

Mr AG Sir, are you not bothered about the breach of fundamental rights of fair hearing of Femi Adekanmbi, a prominent citizen of Ondo State and proud son of Owo Kingdom which you took oath to protect as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo State?
Before the election and the unfortunate incident that happened, you were a known APC Leader at Owo. The issue for which you seek Femi's head happened between PDP and APC at Owo and now that you are made the AG after election, you want to prosecute your adversary and by implication become a judge in your own cause and you believed that nothing will happen? If you thread this part and achieve your aim which though unlikely, posterity will surely make you give account in future.

I was also reliably informed that my Client built a water fountain at Mapo Hall in Owo to add beauty to the ancient town and which fountain is billed for commissioning today. What is wrong with that sir? Instead of framing him up for arrest, I thought he should be commended sir. Just of recent, I read it on social media that Governor Akeredolu commissioned a borehole that was donated to Owo by Lawyers in the Chambers of Olujimi & Akeredolu from Ibadan and I am not aware of arrest of any of the donors for putting the borehole in place for the use of Owo residents. I am also not Aware of how construction of a mere water fountain will disrupt the good programmes of Arakunrin Akeredolu and wane his popularity and rating at Owo. The governor is in control of State Resources and he can turn the whole of Owo to water fountain. The street lights in Owo that is being constructed by Aketi is being commended by everyone at Owo including my Friend and Client.

I wish to also point it out that it is curious to discover that the DPP report in the police diary and file had grown wings as it is no where to be found. I was also informed that a new DPP report which will indict my Client is right about now being concocted to replace the one in the custody of your office with a copy in the coffers of my Client which exonerated and absolved him of any involvement in the allegation contained in the porported petition. I want you to note that the policemen that took part in the last investigation when the matter was still very fresh are still available likewise the Legal officer that signed the report is still with you as your officer in the Ministry of Justice.

I wish to remind you sir incase you have forgotten that power is transient. The man now in the eye of the storm was a Commissioner yesterday but now an ordinary citizen today. No matter how long you stay in that office, you shall one day become an ex-AG. Remember also that you shall go back to same Owo and still meet your brother, Femi Adekanmbi. I remember we were all together in 2012 for the current Governor and Femi was a good man while you over see our activities then.

I have told my Client to stop any form of protest by his supporters at Owo as God has taken control of everything since truth have prevailed as a copy of DPP report is readily available, the policemen that investigated the matter are still available at the Office of the Commissioner of Police and the officer that sign the report at DPP office cannot deny his signature.

I wish to call on you Mr. AG to always weigh the consequences of your actions and give reasonable and correct advice to your Principal who though is a Senior Advocate and may jettison your advice like in this one. Remember that you are the life wire of this regime as the AG, your Legal advise may make or mar the regime. Your actions will also bounce back on the governor as it is his name that would be mentioned if you do anything  wrong or take any wrong step like the manner in which everything is ascribed to the Governor in this one.

I call on you to reach out to Femi Adekanmbi your Kingsman; apologise to him outside this platform and die this matter in the interest of peace and progress of Owo Kingdom. Arresting Adekanmbi at this time over a dead allegation will not work and if you do, you should be ready to deploy mobile policemen and Military men to Owo to quell the unrest that it will generate. You know the popularity of Femi at Owo and you are aware of how God saved the situation from degenerating to violence yesterday. You may read the report of Nigerian Tribune and other dailies of today. This is not to say that my Friend and Client is above the Law but going for his jugular over allegation relating to issue in which he has been exonerated will rub negatively on the image of a government that is still less than one year in office.

I thank the Commissioner of Police Ondo State Command for doing his job dispassionately and without bias. Another Police Officer of his calibre would have allowed himself to be used to settle old political score in Owo. Thank you sir for allowing truth to prevail.

I also wish to use this medium to call on the Governor of Ondo State to use this holiday window to call all his brothers at Owo from both sides of the divide to reconcile them and give peace a chance.

AG sir, leave Femi Adekanmbi alone as this allegation for which he was arrested yesterday is dead on arrival. It won't work.

Thanks and be assured of the esteem of my due professional regard at all times.

Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year in advance to you and your family.

TOLU BABALEYE ESQ writes from Akungba-Akoko.