The Lagos State Rebuilding Trust Fund has begun reconstructing the Igbosere High Court, which was razed down by hijackers of the #EndSARS protest on October 21, 2020.
The Nation on Wednesday observed two heavy Caterpillar excavators demolishing the charred remains of the multi-courtroom structure, reputed as the country’s oldest and most recognisable judicial building.
A signboard outside the premises – which has now been covered – also advertised the reconstruction.
Originally called the Supreme Court with its jurisdiction limited to Lagos, the court’s existence dates back to the period of the cession of Lagos to the British Government when Lagos was known as a British Protectorate.
The Lagos Treaty of Cession of August 6, 1861, was between the British Empire and Oba Dosunmu of Lagos, wherein Dosunmu, under the threat of military bombardment, ceded Lagos Island to Britain, whilst retaining the title and powers of Oba, subject to English laws.
But during the protest, scores of hoodlums made their way onto the premises, carting away computers, printers, files, fans, air conditioners and other items.
A viral video also showed one of the thugs dressed in a judge’s robe and wig, wielding a machete. The rioters then set the ‘temple of justice’ ablaze before fleeing.
The hoodlums also destroyed the nearby Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, the world-class Forensic DNA Centre (West Africa’s first), police stations, and other public and private infrastructure across Lagos.
