Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer, has described as totally misleading, a statement by the Department of State Service, DSS, concerning the release of the convener of the #RevolutionNow Protest, Omoyele Sowore.
A Federal High Court had on Wednesday, November 6, 2019, ordered the release of Sowore and Bakare, following an application for their bail.
But the anti-graft agency failed to comply with the order, claiming that it was yet to receive it.
The service later confirmed on Friday, November 8, 2019, that it had been served the bail order, but was yet to release the accused.
According to the public relations officer of the Service, Peter Afunanya, nobody turned up at the Service’s office to take delivery of Sowore.
But contrary to the claims of the DSS, Falana noted that they yet again failed to release his clients to the lawyers who waited in vain in the agency’s headquarters for up to four hours on Friday.
He, thereafter, stated that two lawyers from his law firm had been directed to contact the management of the DSS for the release of their clients by 10:00 am on Saturday.
Read the full statement below.
FRN V Sowore & Another: The Statement Of The SSS Is Totally Misleading.
On 6/11/19 the bailiff of the federal high court wanted to serve the reproduction warrants issued by the court on the Director-General of the State Security Service, SSS.
But the SSS asked the Bailiff to call back at 10.00 am on 7/11/19. The bailiff did and was able to serve the reproduction warrants on the DG of the SSS.
Upon acknowledging the service of the reproduction warrants the SSS assured the bailiff and 5 lawyers from the defence team that our clients would be released yesterday. But the sss decided not to release our clients to our lawyers who waited in vain in the agency’s headquarters for not less than 4 hours.
When Sowore said that he would not make a statement without first consulting with me the sss management called me on phone on 6/8/19.
Assuming the sss had wanted to release our clients since yesterday the management would have contacted me.
It is pertinent to point out that the meaning of reproduction warrant issued by a trial court is that the defendants be produced for the purpose of releasing them having met their bail conditions.
In the instant case, the Federal High Court did not order the sss to hand over Messrs Sowore and Bakare to any person but to produce them for the purpose of releasing them having met the suffocating bail conditions imposed on them by the trial court.
Even though the SSS disobeyed the order of the Honourable Justice Taiwo for the release of Mr Sowore on 24/9/19 it has turned round to announce its readiness to comply with the order of the Honourable Justice Ifeoma Ojukwu for the release of Sowore and Bakare from illegal custody.
While thanking the Nigerian people for demanding for unconditional compliance with the orders of the federal high court we have directed two lawyers from our law firm to contact the management of the SSS for the release of our clients at 10.00 am on 9/11/19.
Meanwhile, we appeal to Sowore to call off his hunger strike forthwith.
Femi Falana SAN.
[UPDATE] DSS yet to release Sowore – Lawyer
Hours after lawyers were sent to the headquarters of the Department of State Services on Saturday, to receive Sowore, he is yet to be released.
A member of his legal team, Barrister Marshal Abubakar, who led a team of family members to the headquarters of the DSS to receive him, confirmed this to Channels Television.
Barrister Abubakar said after putting calls across to some high ranking DSS officials, they were told to wait, as the persons who could authorise Sowore’s release were unavailable.
