Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Lagos State Government has rejected accusations that it is shielding suspects linked to the fatal shooting of six traders at the Owode Onirin International Motor Spare Parts Market, insisting that its decision not to prosecute was based strictly on the lack of a prima facie case in the police file. In a detailed rejoinder issued on Friday, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), said the Ministry of Justice had no choice but to issue a legal advice of “no case to answer” because the police failed to provide post‑mortem reports, ballistic analyses and other forensic evidence needed to sustain charges of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter.
The shooting occurred on August 27, 2025, during a violent clash over a disputed land claim at the sprawling spare‑parts market in the Ketu area. Six traders – Adeoye Taiwo, Akinloye Seyi, Wale Adebayo, Abraham Idowu, Dare Salaudeen and Adeoye Akeem – were shot dead. The police deployed to enforce the land claim had been brought from Nasarawa State at the instance of a property developer, Abiodun Ariori, who acted as agent for a Lagos family. For months, public outrage mounted, culminating in the burial of the victims in April, which triggered fresh demands for accountability. Four police officers – Inspector Manu Bala, Inspector Ahmed Abass, Corporal Ibrahim Kasimu and Corporal Ibrahim Garba – were dismissed from service and subsequently arrested.
The Lagos State Police Command transmitted the case file to the Ministry of Justice for legal advice in line with Section 74 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State. In his rejoinder, Pedro explained that a thorough review of witness statements, suspect accounts and other documentary evidence revealed “no direct link between the arrested suspects and the deaths of the six traders.” He observed that despite the incident occurring in a busy market, the police case file contained “no eyewitness account confirming that the policemen shot the deceased.” Instead, the evidence available to the ministry suggested that upon their arrival at the disputed land, the police team was attacked by traders. One inspector was reportedly disarmed, and his service rifle was allegedly used by a trader to open fire. The officer was assaulted and had to be rescued and rushed to a hospital.
Given the gravity of the case, Pedro said the ministry did not immediately issue a “no case” advice. On October 30, 2025, it directed the police to conduct further investigations and requested critical pieces of evidence: post‑mortem reports from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, ballistic analysis of recovered bullets, and examination reports of the rifles assigned to the officers. The police, however, failed to provide the requested materials within 45 days. A reminder was sent on December 17, 2025, but still no response. The suspects remained in custody during this period, with their bail applications repeatedly declined.
“It was only after about six months of incarceration and no response from the police that the ministry issued its legal advice on March 3, 2026, concluding that no prima facie case had been disclosed against the suspects,” Pedro said. The legal advice recommended the withdrawal of charges of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter under Sections 411 and 224 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State on the ground of insufficient evidence. Pedro stressed that the decision was not final. “In the event that any new evidence emerges linking any suspect to the crime, the ministry will not hesitate to prosecute, as there is no time bar for criminal prosecution,” he said. He disclosed that the police only submitted provisional post‑mortem and ballistic reports after the legal advice had already been issued, and those documents are currently under review for possible supplementary action.
The Attorney‑General defended the ministry’s position against the backdrop of a publication titled “Is Lagos State Shielding Killers?”, which he described as “false, misleading and unsupported by facts.” He insisted that declining to prosecute in the absence of sufficient evidence is a constitutional obligation, not an act of shielding suspects. “The decision not to prosecute where evidence is insufficient is not an act of protection – it is an ethical and constitutional duty to prevent wrongful prosecution,” he said. “Justice is not a one‑way traffic; it is three‑way traffic. It must serve the victim, the suspect and society at large.” He also questioned what he called “police narratives to the press,” alleging misrepresentation and suppression of material facts.
However, the police insist there was enough evidence to prosecute. In a letter dated March 5, 2026, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, DCP Dayo Akinbisehin, told the Director of Public Prosecutions that autopsy reports from LASUTH and ballistic findings from the Force Criminal Investigation Department had been attached to the case file and were compelling enough to secure conviction. Human rights organisations have condemned the turn of events. The Centre for Human and Socio‑Economic Rights has called for the removal of the Attorney‑General, alleging that his office emboldened the lawlessness that led to the massacre. The DPP, Babajide Martins, who signed the “no case” legal advice, has since been elevated to the position of Permanent Secretary by Governor Babajide Sanwo‑Olu, a move that critics say further erodes public confidence in the state’s justice system.
The Owode Onirin incident continues to be a painful chapter for the families of the six traders, who were laid to rest in Igbogbo in early April amid tears and fresh demands for accountability. The chairman of the spare‑parts market, Abiodun Ahmed, has pledged that the traders will not rest until all those responsible are brought to justice. For now, the suspects are out of custody, the case file remains open, and the government says it is ready to prosecute if new evidence emerges. Whether the “new evidence” will ever come, and who will bear the responsibility for the deaths of six innocent men, remains an open wound in Lagos State.
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