Several heads may roll in the Directorate of Public Prosecution, Lagos State as they have been accused of conspiring to obstruct the course of justice by refusing to provide legal advice on a criminal complaint case which has been lodged with the agency since December 2016.

This follows a written petition filed before the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) by a limited liability company Dangroup Investment and Finance Limited asking the commission to investigate seven officials in the office of the DPP including the director of public prosecution for allegedly abusing their powers to suppress and withhold advice on a criminal complaint.

Dangroup Investment has also taken the DPP to court and is seeking an order compelling the directorate to speedily and immediately provide legal advice on the case referred to it by the Zone 2 command of the Nigerian Police Force. The attorney general of Lagos State is joined in the suit as co-respondent.

In the statement of complaint filed at the high court in Ikeja and sworn to by Dangroup Investment chairman Barrister Olusegun Alalade, it is claimed the company had lodged a criminal complaint with the Nigerian police. The police, on completion of their investigations, recommended three persons – Olufemi Alalade, Olusola Alalade and Raphael Gbadebo Olatunji – for prosecution on criminal charges but were allegedly hampered in taking the next step by a retired deputy inspector general of police.

The statement further averred that the police thereafter passed the case to the office of the DPP, Alausa Ikeja for legal advice where it has been for more than a year. Dangroup is accusing seven officials of the DPP whose names are listed in the petition of conspiring with the unnamed retired deputy IGP to stall and supress the case by failing to provide legal advice contrary to their official duties.

The presiding judge Justice O. A. Adamson has however fixed May 18, 2018 to deliver judgement in the case. This was after the defendants filed an application for more time to file their defence.