In the last week of October, something profoundly troubling happened in Ondo State, something that cuts deep into the soul of justice, governance, and the rule of law. The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, invoked his constitutional power under Section 211 of the 1999 Constitution to file a nolle prosequi, effectively terminating the prosecution of one Fredrick Akinnuoye, popularly known as Adaja, who had been standing trial for attempted murder and assault against a landowner, Mr. Ojo Ajisafe, in Igba, Ondo East.
Ordinarily, such a decision, if guided purely by justice, should raise no alarm. But this one does. It raises the loudest of alarms. The same Ministry of Justice that barely a month ago issued a formal legal advice recommending the prosecution of Akinnuoye for attempted murder, conspiracy, and assault has now reversed itself. What changed? What new evidence emerged between September and October to justify setting the accused free? If the Attorney General now claims that the case was baseless and unjustified, then his Ministry’s earlier advice must have been grossly incompetent or politically overruled. Either way, it reeks of inconsistency, partiality, and dangerous manipulation of public power. The victim, a 34-year-old bricklayer, now lives in fear while his alleged attacker walks free under the protection of the State. This is not only a legal absurdity; it is a moral tragedy.
Dr. Ajulo has justified his action as part of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s zero-tolerance policy on land grabbing. But one cannot claim to fight land grabbing by freeing an accused person already standing trial for violent attack, especially when his victim’s right to fair hearing has not been exhausted in court. By prematurely discontinuing the prosecution, the Attorney General has assumed the dual role of judge and jury, short-circuiting the justice process and leaving the public to wonder whether political connections have once again triumphed over fairness. Credible reports suggest that about thirty politicians, including councillors, had written to the Ministry demanding the discontinuance of the case. Within days, the nolle prosequi was filed. The timing is too convenient to ignore. If this is not political interference, then what is?
This is not the first time the Attorney General’s office has been accused of weaponising state power to protect the powerful and silence the weak. In 2023, the same office was criticised for prosecuting tenants of the Fawehinmi family despite a police report clearing them of wrongdoing in another land dispute, an act which the court later described as vindictive and fined the Ministry one million naira for abuse of office. The recurring pattern is worrisome, with the law appearing to tilt toward those with influence while the ordinary citizen bleeds under its weight.
Yes, Section 211 of the Constitution empowers a state Attorney General to discontinue prosecution in the interest of justice. But the framers of that law never intended it as a weapon of political convenience or personal discretion. The interest of justice is not defined by who sits in Alagbaka; it is defined by truth, fairness, and accountability. To use that constitutional privilege to protect cronies, friends, or political allies is to desecrate the very institution one is sworn to uphold.
For a government that prides itself on law and order, the Governor’s silence in this matter is troubling. If this nolle prosequi truly reflects his zero-tolerance stance on land grabbing, then the Governor owes the people an explanation. Justice cannot be selective. You cannot preach fairness to the poor while shielding the rich from prosecution. You cannot claim to protect legitimate landowners while setting free those accused of machete attacks. If this represents the Governor’s idea of reforming justice, then Ondo State is in serious trouble.
This case goes beyond Ojo Ajisafe. It is a metaphor for the growing fear among ordinary citizens that in today’s Ondo, the law bends toward whoever has access to power. When an Attorney General who once advised prosecution suddenly turns around to halt the same case without transparency, it signals something deeper than legal interpretation; it signals corruption of conscience. If the government continues down this path, the people will lose faith not just in the courts but in the very idea that justice exists in Ondo State.
The Attorney General owes the people of Ondo State an explanation, not a press statement. He owes the courts an apology for usurping their authority. And the Governor owes the citizens accountability for allowing executive power to override the sanctity of due process. The eyes of history are watching. And when justice is eventually restored, as it always is, those who turned the law into a political weapon will find themselves standing before a different kind of court, the court of public memory. Until then, the people will keep asking, who really owns Ondo’s justice system, the people or the powerful?
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