Sanwo-Olu begins redevelopment of destroyed Igbosere High Court

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Monday performed the groundbreaking ceremony to begin the rebuilding of High Court of Lagos, Igbosere, destroyed during the EndSARS protest mayhem in Oct. 2020.

Speaking during the ceremony, Sanwo-Olu said that the building would be restructured to be bigger, stronger and better to fit for purpose.

He said that the destroyed High Court was not just a historical edifice but the oldest facility that continued to discharge justice to the people of Lagos State and Nigerians in general.

”The Lagos High Court, Igbosere is our heritage, something that has been part of the Lagos story. This was an edifice that indeed has been in existence before any of us in this place here today.

”Well, like we all know the events that happened about two years and two months ago, to be precise, endless, needless protest that befell our city. It is nothing that we knew about, nothing that we caused, nothing that was generated by us.

”In fact, it is activity that we took the charge and we led to bring about with amicable solution that brought us down, and dark events happened. It is part of our history.

”But as resilient people, no matter how a man falls down, it is the ability to resolve to rise up and pick up whatever it is, and come out stronger, bigger and better, so that you do not allow the forces that must have brought you down have a field day.

”That is why we have decided to let the whole world know that indeed, the reconstruction and the rebuilding of Igbosere High Court is live, is direct, and we will all be alive to see the completion by the grace of God,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said that in order to rebuild the property destroyed during the EndSARS mayhem, the government constituted the Rebuild Lagos Trust Fund team.

He said that the team members were taken outside of government, so that the issues of bureaucracy and correction of government do not becloud its activities.

The Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), said that October 2020 would remain a sad day in the history of the Judiciary.

Onigbanjo said that the torching of the court was a ”fatal breach” in the temple of justice.

He said that dispensing justice was not about brick and mortar, but an idea which could not be killed by destruction and desecration of the temple.

”This redevelopment will raise from the ashes a more beautiful court complex than the one destroyed. With this event, light has overcome darkness,” he said.

In his remarks, the Chief Justice of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, said that the governor had initial plan to renovate the High Court, but God wished that it would be rebuilt entirely.

Alogba said that the groundbreaking ceremony was a manifestation of the beginning of God’s plan for the edifice and justice in the state.

He commended Gov. Sanwo-Olu for his relentless efforts in ensuring the kick-off of the redevelopment of the High Court and Lagos in general.

In his welcome address, the Chairman, Board of Directors, Rebuild Lagos Trust Fund (RLTF), Mr Olayemi Cardoso, said that the Igbosere Court was the significant institution among the six pioneer projects identified by the fund, given its historical significance to Lagos and the country.

Cardoso said that the fund remained dedicated to the restoration and upgrade of the High Court.

He said that in the first phase of the project was to rebuild the old court structure, upgrade it to a state-of-the-art facility, and restore the artefacts that were signatures of its history.

”The second phase of this project will be a multi-story and multi-purpose structure to resolve space constraints and will feature additional office spaces, courtrooms, parking spaces, as well as giving room to future expansion.

“In the redevelopment, there will be an expansion of the number of courtrooms from 22 to 38, in response to the deficiency in the number of courtrooms in the state,” the chairman said.

He said that a multilevel park would be built in the new complex and a 700-seater auditorium to eliminate car-parking challenges around the court.