Kwara state government said on Tuesday that it will suspend further action on the reclamation of plots 1,3 and 5 of Civil Service Clinic, Ilofa street, Ilorin land from Dr Olusola Saraki.

Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Barrister Salman Jawondo confirmed that the state government was served on Tuesday with the writ of summon that the case had been filed at the state High Court.

He said that the government had not been served with any Exparte injunction restraining the state government from taken action on the reclaimed land.

Jawondo said, “the government was served today (Tuesday) with the Court summon which shows that the case has been filed before the court but we have not been served with the order restraining the government from taking further action on the land on which the structure “ile-Arugbo” was allegedly constructed.”

Speaking with newsmen in his office, Jawondo, however, said that “though it technically meant that the state government has not been restrained but that as a government that believes in the rule of law, it has decided to stop further action on the matter until the final decision of the court.”

The Attorney-general and Commissioner for Justice also noted that the injunction granted would expire after seven days, adding that by the time the case is argued in the court the injunction would have lapsed and withdrawn.

Jawondo said the case would come up for hearing on January 15, 2020.

He also said that the intention of the state government was to demolish and construct the state secretariat on the expansive land as planned.

He said, “Since we have not been served the court order, it could mean that we have not been restrained, but the issue is that even before they got the order of interim of injunction on our own we have stayed actions on it.

“Our decision was taken since last week Friday when they brought the advance copy of what was brought today which is official.

“This is because we want to follow the rule of law, so whether they served us this order or not we have stopped further action as a government that believes in the rule of law.”

Jawondo also said that though the state government does not know the facts presented by the Sarakis which prompted the court to grant them the injunction, but expressed believe that by the time the case is argued in the court the injunction would be withdrawn.

His words read:

“But we know as a matter of fact that by the time we place the real fact before the court, the court will know that in the first instance they did not deserve the order of injunction granted them.

“From what we have, the Sarakis don’t have anything other than the 2005 allocation paper which stated six conditions before they could construct on the land and not one of those conditions was fulfilled,” he stressed.