The Department of State Services (DSS), on Thursday, invited one of the conveners of Ibeju-Lekki Peoples Forum, Comrade Jamiu Olayinka, for questioning over a suit asking the Lagos State government to account for the $100 million reportedly paid by Aliko Dangote to acquire land for his refinery.

The Lagos natives’ leader, who was at work, was asked to honour the impromptu invitation of the secret police at 10:00 am on Thursday, a statement signed by the Media Officer of De Renaissance Patriots Foundation in Lagos State, on Thursday said.

The statement said “having contacted his lawyers and members of the native group he leads, Comrade Olayinka went to honour the DSS’ invitation, which was passed to him via a telephone conversation by a man, who introduced himself as the Director of DSS Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, describing the location of the Service’s office in the area”.

The statement reads, “Although he was not detained, his people had insisted that he should give them all the details of what transpired as they had told him before he left for their office that they suspected the invitation was due to the Ibeju-Lekki Peoples Forum’s involvement in the suit against Lagos State regarding the Dangote Refinery’s $100 million paid to the state government over the natives land taken without compensation and claimed to have been given free for the Dangote’s refinery building some nine years ago.

“As predicted by the people, Comrade Jamiu Olayinka confirmed their thought as right. He said, ‘I was asked about the case and I told them we are not going back. I told the (DSS) man that I have every right to sue Lagos State Government for the issues.

“’And he asked to know what can we use to back up our Association and I showed him our registered certificate with CAC. He became perplexed when he saw the registered certification.

“’Their plan is to pressure us to back out from joining the case against the Lagos State Government but we will not bow to any intimidation,” he relayed his experience with DSS to his people Thursday afternoon.”

In the meantime, the Yakubu Eleto Chambers, lawyers representing the Ibeju-Lekki Peoples Forum, have expressed concern that the Lagos State Government, instead of providing answers to the questions asked by De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, about whether or not Dangote Refinery paid the government $100 million as claimed by its Chairman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, it resorted to using the DSS to intimidate “our clients, who had decided to join in the suit that followed after the state government failed, after seven days, to provide the involvement the natives required”.

Principal Partner of the Law Firm and human rights lawyer, Barrister Yakubu Eleto Esq, who spoke to the press said, “We are lawyers to both De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, who wrote a letter on July 27, 2024, to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, under the Freedom of Information Act, asking for information regarding the revelation by Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

“And the FOI Act states that the government or any other such public office so written can be sued if, after seven days, it fails to provide the information demanded. “The Lagos State Government failed in this regard and we decided to go to court to seek an Order of Mandamus to be compel the state government to provide the information.”

“Because the Ibeju-Lekki Peoples Forum is a group of the Lagos State indigenes who are directly affected by the development, their leaders and members decided to join in the case and, instead for Governor Sanwo-Olu to now be humble enough by commit to the rule of law and await his day in court, he already resorted to using the DSS to pressurize and intimidate the natives in order for them to be cut off from involving themselves in the case and that will be unacceptable,” the human rights lawyer said.

The Applicants – De Renaissance Patriots Foundation and Ibeju-Lekki Peoples Forum – had files a suit at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, asking the court to compel Lagos State Government to provide a comprehensive and detailed account of the transaction and address critical questions such as why there was no public statement issued regarding the financial transaction.

The lawsuit seeks to uncover the truth surrounding Dangote’s claim that he paid $100 million to the state government and ensure transparency and accountability in the handling of public funds.

The court’s ruling is anticipated to shed light on the circumstances surrounding this substantial payment and its potential impact on the lives of the Ibeju-Lekki community.

This is contained in an originating motion, brought under Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended; Sections 1,3, 4, 7, 20 and 24 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011 and Inherent jurisdiction of the Honourable Court in the matter.

The application was filed by De Renaissance Patriots Foundation and Ibeju-Lekki Peoples Forum, joining Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos State Governor), Attorney General of Lagos State, Accountant General of Lagos State, Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Lagos State and Lagos State Government, as the 1st to 5th Respondents.

The motion, filed and registered by the court with Suit no FHC/L/CS/1603/2024 at 1:20pm on Friday, September 6, 2024, is asking the court for an Order of Mandamus to be issued against the respondents to compel the Lagos State Government to release the information required by the applicants