•I’ve resigned from firm — Lagos AG
By Innocent Anaba
LAGOS —A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has been urged to restrain the law firm of Lawal Pedro, SAN, & Associates from representing a company, Starmark Finance Company Limited in an ongoing suit filed by a medical doctor seeking to prevent alleged land grabbers from taking over his land.
In a suit filed by the medical doctor, Dr Ojo Oluwatosin Ademola, the Claimant urged the court to order the law firm of the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice “to withdraw its representation for the 1st Defendant (the Company) in the suit on the ground of conflict of interest.”
The Claimant also prayed the court to set “aside the order for change of counsel of the 1st Defendant to the Law firm of Lawal Pedro (SAN) & Associates granted on February 18, 2025.”
Joined as Defendants /Respondents in the suit by Dr Ademola are Mr Tunji Solaja and Engr. Peter Omotosho.
Already, the state high Court presided by Justice Akinkunmi Idowu has granted “an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Defendants/Respondents from trespassing, harassing, or going into the land or carrying out any activities whatsoever on the land, lying and situate at Plot 1, Block 4, Lekki Peninsula, Scheme 1, Admiralty Road, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State measuring 1, 147.124 square metres vide Deed of Assignment registered as No. 69, page 69, in Volume 2741 of the Land Registry, Ikeja, Lagos State, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.”
Also, the court restrained the Defendants/Respondents “from using force, thugs, the Police and other agencies of the Government to harass, intimidate, break into the Claimant’s property” at Lekki Peninsula, Scheme 1, Admiralty Road, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State.
In the Motion on Notice, the Claimant hinges his application on the ground that the “office of the Attorney General had earlier issued DPP advice against the party his private law firm Lawal Pedro (SAN) & Associates seeks to represent.”
The Claimant also claimed that the 1st Defendant as represented by Lawal Pedro and Associates suppressed fact before the court that the Attorney General is “the principal partner/founder of Lawal Pedro (SAN) & Associates who has issued a DPP’s advice criminally indicting the company and some individuals, recommending them from prosecution.
He, therefore, queried the legitimacy of the chambers owned by the attorney general to stand in the defence of those that he and his office have officially indicted of criminal offences and recommended for prosecution.
The Claimant submitted further that “the law firm of Lawal Pedro SAN and Associates cannot be engaged to represent the 1st Defendant in the suit as the Attorney General of Lagos State, Mr Pedro Lawal, SAN, has been personally involved in the protection of the interest of the Claimant.”
It added that “not only was the order granted allowing change of counsel on February 17, 2025, granted in error due to the suppression of fact by the 1st Defendant/Applicant, but the order will also amount to conflict of interest and this court being a temple of justice that will uphold the principles of equity, such order should be set aside.”
Meanwhile, the 1st Defendant/Respondent, through the Lawal Pedro SAN & Associates, in response to the earlier order granted by the court has prayed the court for an order “of interlocutory injunction to restrain the parties i.e. the Claimant and Defendants, their privies, servants, agents, workmen from going onto the parcel of land known and identified as plot 1, Block 4, Scheme 1, Lekki Peninsula in the Eti-Osa local government area of Lagos State pending the determination of the substantive suit by this court.”
I’ve resigned from firm — Pedro
However, Pedro said he has since resigned from the firm.
When contacted, he said: “I don’t know what this is about. Perhaps one of the counsels in the chambers (which I have since resigned from after my appointment) is defending one of the parties in his right as counsel.
“I believe the doctor and his counsel are lazy, mischievous and don’t have a good case or are afraid of the other counsel, hence the objection as a distraction so that they can hang the case in the Court of Appeal.
“It is settled law that Lawal Pedro & Associates is not a legal practitioner enrolled in the Supreme Court.
“It is individual counsel that has the right to practice law in our courts, not associates.”
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