Federal Hight Court re-lists suit on Funsho Williams murder

A suit seeking fresh investigations into the murder of a late  governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Funsho Williams, was on Monday re-listed before a Federal High Court in Lagos.

The applicant, Bashir Junaid, re-approached the court after the same suit was struck out on April 29, 2015 by Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia for want of diligent prosecution.

The judge, however, allowed the suit to be returned onto the list after entertaining  a fresh motion and argument from the plaintiff’s counsel, Tunji Adesheye, on Monday.

Junaid, a cemetery attendant, who was arrested and detained by the police during preliminary investigation into Williams’ murder, filed the suit seeking a mandamus order compelling the Inspector General of Police to conduct fresh investigations with the possibility of a fresh trial.

The applicant, who is seeking N5bn as exemplary damages, joined a former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, and 10 others as the respondents.

Williams, who was strangled to death in his Dolphin Estate residence, Ikoyi, Lagos, on July 27, 2006, was a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party competing with Tinubu.

Junaid, in his 48-рaragraph ѕtаtеmеnt оf сlаim, alleged that the police disregarded his freely made statement, which could have assisted to unravel Williams’ killers.

He claimed that the concrete evidence that he tendered were diѕсаrded bу thе Fеdеrаl Central Invеѕtigаtiоnѕ Dераrtmеnt, Alagbon, Lagos.

Junaid, who  alleged that Tinubu used his influence with the police to exonerate himself, equally accused the police of compromise by allegedly  allowing the legal adviser to the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Muiz Banire, to change his statement after he had been cautioned.

At the Monday’s proceedings, Adesheye informed the court that in compliance with an earlier order of the court before the suit was struck out, his client had effected personal service of the concurrent writ of summons on the defendants that were outside the court’s jurisdiction.

The lawyer went on to urge the court to grant the motion seeking to re-list the suit  in the interest of justice, saying the defendants would not be prejudiced in anyway whatsoever if same was granted.

But counsel for the 1st and 4th defendants, Kingson Uwandu, while  opposing Adesheye’s submission, pointed out that the  plaintiff had yet to pay the N25,000 fine placed on him by the court when the matter was struck out.

Uwandu said it was improper for the plaintiff, who had failed to comply with an order of the court, to turn around seeking a favour from the same court.

But when probed by the court on when the order for the payment of the N25,000 fine was made against the plaintiff, Uwandu said he could not remember because he was not with the case file.

Further hearing in the matter has been adjourned till  September 29, 2015.