Igboho Home 12: Lawyer Alleges Darker Days For Nigeria Rule Of Law As DSS Refuses To Release Victims, Defying Court Release Order.

The Nigeria Department of Security Services (DSS) is in the ‘dock’ over its refusal to let off 12 victims arrested on July 1, 2021, in the middle of the night siege which was laid on the home of Chief Sunday Igboho, the Yoruba self-determination fighter, and human rights activist.

High Court judge, Obiora Egwatu, had ruled on August 4 that eight out of the 12 Igboho supporters should be granted bail after Pelumi Olajengbesi, the lawyer representing filed an application asking the court to “inquire into the circumstances constituting grounds of their arrest and detention since July 1, 2021, and where it deems fit admit applicants on bail”

The presiding judge had traveled immediately after the judgment granting eight of the victims’ freedom was pronounced, and this had delayed the signing of the release warrant which could have opened the way for their immediate release.

However, on Monday, August 23, Justice Obiora Egwatu was pleased to sign the release warrant of all the 2 victims as the bail condition for the other four had been met.

On presentation of the DSS office, the national security in a show of disrespect to the nation’s rule of law refused to honor the court order claiming it had been sent to the office of the DSS Director-General.

According to Barrister Pelumi Olajengbesi representing the Igboho Home-12, the Director-General had been giving excuses while the order to carry out the release warrant content had been defiled. He spoke to London-based aiinewsonline on Monday morning. Barrister Olajengbesi had addressed a World News conference to pour out his heart on how his clients are being treated by the DSS despite the victims not being committed for any offense.

Barrister Olajengbesi condemned the action of the DSS, describing the situation as dangerous to the nation’s fragile legal system. Barrister Olajengbesi on Friday morning addressed a World conference where he called on the DSS to obey the law of the land and honor the Constitution which allows for fundamental Human rights of all citizens of the country.

According to a fuming Barrister Olajengbesi:” The DSS is creating unholy legal precedence which would give way to unwarranted suppression, subjugation, repression, and intimidation of innocent Nigerians even when no offense had been committed” He claimed no visible offense had been committed by the 12 victims and they have been unduly humiliated and suppressed.

Barrister Olajengbesi however is calling on the international community to intervene to stop the brazen lawlessness being perpetrated by the Buhari administration, claiming the government has risen beyond the laws of the land as the government has been repressing innocent citizens.

He said the government had deliberately defied the court order on the 12 victims in its desperation to retain them and subject them to more inhuman treatment and degradation.

According to him, the government action is tantamount to the oppression of the nation’s citizens claiming the victims had been kept for over 60 days with no charges.

“They are free in the eyes of the law. The World must witness the DSS Director being committed to prison if he refuses to obey court orders”, he continued.

The release order was signed by the Court and the DSS refused to obey.

Earlier on in the day, Barrister Pelumi had addressed a World Press conference where he called on human rights. organizations across the World to intervene in the suppressive action of the Buhari government incarcerating innocent citizens in Nigeria with impunity

Details of his Press Release if presented under:

It has become imperative and urgent to make this brief address in light of the vindictive and oppressive conduct of the State Security Service in the matter involving twelve detained associates of Yoruba Nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, aka Igboho.

In the wee hours of the 1st of July, 2021, a joint team of men from the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigerian Military, with neither lawful cause nor a warrant of arrest, broke into the Ibadan home of Yoruba Nation activist popularly known as Sunday Igboho and extra-judicially murdered two of his associates while rounding up, bounding and abducting twelve others to be incarcerated without cause in the dungeons of the SSS where they continue to languish without reprieve to this day.

All twelve detainees who were immediately subjected to degrading conditions of detention and torture were denied access to their lawyers by the SSS up until the intervention of the court through an order recognizing and re-emphasizing the detainees’ right to legal representation against whatever allegations against them.

Regrettably and indeed unacceptable, while no charges, in full or tentatively, have been preferred against all twelve detainees, the SSS has failed and refused to honor an order of the court which granted bail to and ordered the release of all twelve detainees upon the perfection of the terms of their bail which have now been fully satisfied and duly communicated to the SSS.

The refusal of the SSS to honor a clear order of the court, though habitual, is not only worrisome and unacceptable but is an affront to the authority of the court and our entire judicial system. Such blatant disregard for, and contemptuous, spiteful, and insolent disrespect of an order of court if allowed to fester would undermine the very integrity of the court and breed even newer levels of rascality by STATE AGENTS. It would also amount to surrendering the freedom and rights of all twelve detainees to the whims and caprices of an agency that has gone rogue and thrives in willful disobedience of court orders.

In light of this, we are giving the SSS, particularly its Director-General, forty-eight (48) hours and not an hour more, within which to fully obey and comply with the release order of the court in favor of all twelve detained associates of Mr. Sunday Igboho or face contempt proceedings before a court of competent jurisdiction with the full weight and recompense of the court brought to bear against his insolence and disregard of the court order.

Take notice that we will not fail to exhaust all legal and social remedies available to the detainees in enforcing their rights in this matter and setting the tone against the SSS’ notorious disregard of due process and the rule of law.

SIGNED

PELUMI OLAJENGBESI ESQ

Legal Practitioner