The Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Suraj Isola, on Thursday, at a customary court sitting in Agbe’loba, Abeokuta, battled to have Samiat , the only child from his ex-lover , Iyabo Adedotun, in his custody.
Adedotun, an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, had filed a suit in the court, alleging threat to her life by Isola.
She also alleged that the speaker had shirked his responsibility to the child and had also denied her the opportunity of having another lover.
While Adedotun prayed the court to grant her the permission to marry another man of her choice, the speaker urged the court to give him the custody of the child.
During the court proceedings, the three-man panel unanimously granted the speaker’s prayer and ordered the return of the child to his custody.
Immediately, the judgment was delivered, the complainant objected, accusing the court officials of having compromised.
Adedotun and another NSCDC officer, who came with her to the court, in an attempt to show dissatisfaction with the court’s decision, tried to stop the child from being handed over to speaker.
After his prayer had been granted by the court, the speaker quietly left the court premises.
The development, however, resulted in pandemonium around the court when policemen and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps clashed over the court’s judgment.
It was gathered that policemen a nearby police station had confronted the Civil Defence operatives who stormed the court, leading to a scuffle between the officers of the two security agencies.
Tension heightened as attempts by policemen to arrest some NSCDC officials for allegedly daring to stop the execution of the judgment of the court were resisted.
The policemen had to fire gunshots to scare away an already surging crowd before they succeeded in whisking away a Civil Defence officer from the court premises.
Meanwhile, the speaker in a statement made available to newsmen by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Waheed Akinola, denied allegations that Isola was responsible for the melee at the court and the subsequent arrest of the NSCDC officials.
The Statement reads, “How can anybody ascribe this (arrest) to the Speaker. The police came on the prompting of the court and I make bold to say here that those operatives were not the ones attached to the Speaker nor the Assembly, as being speculated.
“On the contrary, the Speaker had left the scene long before the ugly development. I was one of those pleading for caution as I believe the incident might be misconstrued, like it is now.
“To those who bandied the story, we urge you to be fair by seeking our side before going on social media. We urge you to seek the truth always and abide by it”.
