Pandemonium broke out at the Ondo State High Court on Wednesday following the alleged invasion of the court premises by operatives from the Police Special Weapons and Tactics, SWAT, unit, Lagos, who attempted to arrest one Ojo Ajisafe, a 34-year-old bricklayer, over a case that was already before the court.
Reports indicate that Ajisafe was in court on Wednesday for proceedings in a case of attempted murder linked to a long-running land dispute in the Ondo East Local Government Area of the state.But in a dramatic turn of events, the police officers, reportedly from the Lagos State Command, arrived at the court complex and picked him up while the case was being heard.
According to eyewitnesses, the operatives, who were initially not in uniform, stormed the court, sparking fears that they might be kidnappers.However, the situation became clear when those on the court premises later discovered that the men were police officers from the Lagos Command.
While the officers were still in court, Ajisafe’s counsel, Femi Akinbinu, alerted the presiding judge about the development, describing it as a “Gestapo-style invasion” of the court premises.Eyewitnesses said the presiding judge, upon hearing of the officers’ intention, expressed shock but was unable to immediately stop the arrest.
It was gathered that the move to have the bricklayer arrested followed a petition reportedly submitted to the SWAT unit of the Lagos Command over a murder case.However, those familiar with the case stated that the murder allegation was what the Ondo High Court was already hearing.
