DSS Fails To Produce Detained Igboho’s Associates In Court

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned the suit brought by 12 detained associates of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho.

The court, on Thursday, took the decision to adjourn till Monday because the Department of State Services (DSS) failed to produce the detained aides as earlier ordered by the court.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu also ordered that the DSS should grant the lawyer to the detained aides access to his clients.

The counsel to the DSS, I. Awo, informed the court that the DSS has no intention of disobeying the court’s order. However, he stated that there were facts that were necessary for the court to be aware of regarding the matter.

Awo said some of the names on the court order were different from the names of the persons they had arrested on July 1, 2021 at Igboho’s house.

The counsel to the applicants, Pelumi Olajengbesi, alleged that the DSS had given the applicants new names as there are discrepancies in the spelling of their names.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/647/2021, Justice Egwuatu had ordered the DSS to produce the detained aides of Igboho in court.

Justice Egwuatu had also ordered the DSS to show cause why the Igboho’s aides should not be admitted to bail.

Recall that the detained aides instituted a suit against the DSS and its Director-General, Yusuf Bichi, following their arrest and detention on July 1, after the DSS’ raid of Igboho’s residence in the Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

At the last adjourned date, the applicants’ counsel, moved his ex parte motion praying the court for an order “mandating and compelling the respondents to produce the applicants” to enable the court “inquire into the circumstances constituting grounds of their arrest and detention” since July 1, and where it seems fit grant applicants bail.

They also sought the order of the court mandating and compelling the respondents to produce the applicants before the court and “show cause as to why the applicants should not be granted bail in accordance with the provision of section 32 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and other extant laws in Nigeria.”

Olajengbesi had argued that the applicants are citizens of Nigeria with inherent rights, adding that since the applicants were arrested, no one has heard from them for more than four weeks.

The applicants are Abdulateef Ofeyagbe, Amoda Babatunde, Tajudeen Erinoyen, Diakola Ademola, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Noah, and Ayobami Donald.

Others are Adelabe Usman, Oluwapelimi Kunle, Raji Kazeem, Taiwo Opeyemi and Bamidele Sunday.