The Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR) yesterday led members of the Ajiran community in Lagos State to protest at the Police Command Headquarters in Ikeja. The demonstration aimed to draw attention to the ongoing case of the murder of two indigenes, Sheriff Ishola Salami and Prince Kazeem Ademola Akinloye.
Protest Over Alleged Interference
Leading the protest, CHSR President Alex Omotehinse stated that the rally was necessary due to alleged attempts to distort facts and compromise the integrity of prosecutorial and judicial processes in the matter. On February 19, 2026, Assistant Inspector-General of Police (Zone 2) Olohundare Jimoh, then Lagos State Police Commissioner, declared prime suspect Ahmed Tajudeen Akanbi wanted. This followed arrests and confessional statements from suspects linked to the killings.
Police Investigations Reveal Evidence
Police investigations allegedly uncovered detailed confessions, corroborative evidence, and a pattern of coordinated violent acts leading to the tragic deaths of the victims in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
During the protest, CHSR expressed concern that any prejudicial intervention in a criminal matter, if unchecked, risks undermining public confidence in the justice system, eroding the credibility of prosecutorial institutions, and causing further emotional distress to the bereaved families and the Ajiran community.
Concerns Over Due Process
“We are particularly concerned that demands for the release of legal advice, immediate bail, and independent review, though framed within legal language, may serve as instruments of pressure capable of derailing due process,” the body said. “It is imperative to state that criminal prosecutions, especially in capital offences, must proceed strictly based on evidence tested in open court, not subjected to external influence or orchestrated public campaigns.”
Calls for Institutional Integrity
The group called on the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Ministry of Justice, Lagos State, Lagos Commissioner of Police, Assistant Inspector-General of Police (Zone 2), and the Inspector-General of Police to ensure the integrity of prosecution. They demanded that the DPP proceed strictly in accordance with the law, guided by credible and admissible evidence, free from undue external pressure or influence.
They also called for safeguarding institutional independence, ensuring the Ministry of Justice, the DPP, and the judicial process remain impartial and free from undue interference. According to the group, “this case represents a critical test of the credibility of the justice system under your watch. The public, particularly the grieving families and concerned citizens, expect that institutions entrusted with the administration of justice in Lagos State will neither surrender to blackmail nor allow the cause of justice to be perverted under whatever guise.”
