BREAKING: ‘DSS Attempts To Rearrest Sowore in Court’
BREAKING: ‘DSS Attempts To Rearrest Sowore in Court’
Operatives of the Department of State Services on Friday morning disrupted the ongoing trial of activists Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare, attempting to rearrest the two men, who were only released from its detention on Thursday evening, Sahara Reporters say.
The DSS operatives also chased away the presiding judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu while also brutalising a journalist with a popular television station.
There is currently an ongoing standoff inside the court premises as the DSS operatives are refusing to allow Sowore and his lawyers come out of the place.
Already aware of the development, Sowore is held in the court with his lawyers and associates. They had appeared in court for a fundamental rights enforcement hearing in the ongoing trial of Mr Sowore and SSS disregard of court orders.
Friday morning’s attempt to take Mr Sowore into custody came a day after the Sahara Reporters’ publisher was released from detention after spending 124 days.
Mr Sowore was released after Ijeoma Ojukwu, the federal judge handling his treasonable felony trial, insisted that her November 6 order must be complied with and Mr Sowore must be released from custody or senior officials of the SSS would be held in criminal contempt.
It was not immediately learnt why the SSS deployed its operatives to the court to arrest Mr Sowore again Friday morning.
Sowore Still in DSS Detention 2 Days After Court Ordered His Release
Nigerian opposition politician, Omoyele Sowore is still being detained by Nigerian government two days after a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered his immediate release.
Sowore, was arrested on August 3 for planning a protest popularised with the hashtag #RevolutionNow.
He is facing trial on seven counts for alleged treasonable felony, fraud and cyberstalking.
Nigeria’s former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki is still being jailed several courts orders for his release notwithstanding.
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, has issued a warning that it would order the imprisonment of the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Yusuf Bichi
The court gave the warning on Thursday in response to the failure of the SSS to release the detained publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore.
The court’s warning was also based on an application by Sowore’s lawyers led by senior advocate Femi Falana.
A copy of the court order dated September 26 said the SSS must release Sowore as directed by the court or it would be guilty of contempt and liable to be committed to prison.
“Take notice that unless you obey the order of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division delivered on September 24 which ordered you to release the applicant, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison,” the document read.
The Federal High Court had ordered the immediate release of Sowore from prison on Tuesday after ruling that there was no longer a valid reason to continue detaining the respondent.
The SSS also accused Sowore of disseminating an interview wherein he made utterances termed by the prosecution as “insulting, causing hatred and enmity” to the person of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The charge sheet also included an allegation that Sowore and another defendant, Olawale Bakare, planned the protest to overthrow the incumbent government.
The SSS had obtained two separate orders for Sowore’s detention till September 21.
At the expiration of those orders, the SSS informed the court of an application earlier seeking further detention of Sowore for 20 days. It also notified the court that the recent application had been overtaken by events based on the provisions of the law, since the SSS had filed an information before the court suggesting that investigations had been concluded regarding allegations against Sowore.
Despite that declaration by the SSS lawyer, G. A. Agbadua, the prosecution still hinted the court of its desire to continue detaining Sowore. Agbadua argued that the allegations against Sowore attracted capital punishment and that bail in such circumstances where highly restricted.
That claim was, however, refuted by Sowore’s lawyer, Femi Falana, who told the court that Mr Agbadua was misleading the court with his claim that allegations against owore attracted capital punishment.
Nigerian State Security says Sowore, Kanu plotted to topple Buhari
The Nigerian State Security Services (SSS) has said the leader of the South-East separatist group, Nnamdi Kanu and convener of RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore plotted to overthrow the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sowore is in jail for 45 days following the Federal High Court order while the government has said it will re-arrest Nnamdi Kanu whenever he steps into the country.
Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was arrested for treasonable charges but was granted bail after some Igbo leaders stood for his bail conditions.
On Tuesday, the SSS challenged the court order allowing it to detain Sowore for 45 days against its request of 90 days pending investigation.
The SSS argued that its investigation so far revealed that “RevolutionNow” was allegedly a smokescreen for the actual intention of Sowore and his allies “to topple the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The DSS said it was engaged in a painstaking investigation of activities of Mr Sowore, the candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the last presidential election, in view of the quantum of evidence so far gathered and may return to court to seek an extension of the 45 days granted by the Abuja-based court to detain him.
The security agency made this known in a fresh document it filed at the Federal High Court on Monday in response to an application by Mr Sowore.
In the counter-affidavit deposed to by Godwin Agbadua, an official of the SSS, it was stated that Mr Sowore was arrested on reasonable suspicion of having committed a capital offence, upon his alleged involvement in terrorists’ activities.
“The respondent/applicant (Sowore) planned to violently change the government through the hashtag RevolutionNow.
“The respondent/appllcant hid under the cover of call for mass protest with the hashtag RevolutionNow to mislead unsuspecting and innocent members of the public into joining him to topple the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
“In his plot to topple the government the respondent/applicant held series of meetings with members at a prescribed terrorist organisation, Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) with a view to mobilising strong forces to realise his agenda at changing the government.
“The respondent formed an alliance with a fugitive, Nnamdi Kanu, a self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed terrorists group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to launch series of attacks on Nigeria with a view to violently removing the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“After series of closed-door meetings between the duo in the United States of America, they addressed a press conference wherein they both stated their resolve to form alliance against the Nigerian government. The duo stated that they have a well-planned out strategy to realize their objective, which is toppling the government.
“The applicant/respondent is investigating the activities of the respondent /applicant as it relates to a terrorist organisation, IPOB. The facts show a conjecture between the respondent/applicant and IPOB activities.
“There is the need for the applicant/respondent to investigate such reasonable suspicion of the relationship between the respondent/applicant and IPOB.
“The respondent held series of meetings with some foreign collaborators outside Nigeria including Dubai where millions of dollars were given to him to sponsor a widespread attack on Nigeria with a view to violently removing the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and freeing Ibrahim El-Zakzaky (Sheikh).
“In furtherance to the plans to violently free El-Zakzaky from lawful custody. the respondent held several meetings with a proscribed terrorists organisation. Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) where they strategized on how to carry out attacks to force the government to free Elzakzaky.
“The respondent stated in one of his videos that Shiite members, who are members of the proscribed terrorists group, IMN were going to join forces with him in bringing down the government. The statement and the meetings of the respondent/applicant raises issue of grave suspicion of supporting a proscribed terrorists’ organisation, IMN.
“The suspicions require diligent investigation by the applicant/respondent. The planned action constitutes a threat of violence to intimidate or cause panic in members of the public as a means of affecting political conduct
“The investigation is still ongoing. Upon the completion of investigation, the case file will be forwarded to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation for advice and possible prosecution,” SSS alleged.
Sowore, to spend 45 days in detention for organising #RevolutionNow
Nigerian political activist and journalist, Omoyele Sowore may spend 45 days behind bars as a fallout of his #RevolutionNow campaign.
A Nigerian Federal High Court granted the State Security Service an approval to keep Omoyele Sowore in custody for initial 45 days.
The publisher of Saharareporters, an online platform may stay more than 45 in detention if the antecedent of President Muhammadu Buhari is to be considered.
Taiwo Taiwo of the Abuja Division also said the SSS would get additional permission to keep locking Mr Sowore up for his activism.
Mr Sowore had called for a good governance revolution in Nigeria last week, drawing immediate fears from President Muhammadu Buhari and other elements in his government.
Sowore was arrested in Lagos on August 3 by SSS operatives who stormed his apartment.
The arrest came two days before the nationwide protest was scheduled to take place on August 5 across the country.
After keeping Sowore in custody for more than 48 hours in violation of the law, the SSS asked a federal judge for permission to further incarcerate him and was granted on Thursday morning.
Despite the SSS admitting that it had no evidence of a plot to take over government against Mr Sowore, the judge still granted the secret police permission to keep him under the anti-terrorism law.
The remand order was granted ex-parte, meaning Mr Sowore was not allowed to be represented by a lawyer and the judge took the decision based on only the claim of the SSS.
The judge, Taiwo Taiwo, ruling on an ex parte application filed by the SSS, whose operatives arrested Mr Sowore on August 3 in Lagos, held that the detention order would be renewable after the expiration of first 45 days on September 21.
The SSS had on Tuesday applied for permission to keep Mr Sowore for 90 days to investigate him over his call for revolution ahead of the RevolutionNow protests which held in some parts of the country on Monday.
The security agency anchored its application on the provision of section 27(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act.
Ruling on ex parte application, a one-sided request by the SSS without counter-argument by Mr Sowore’s legal team, Mr Taiwo, said he had to grant the application, “only to the extent” of allowing the security agency to keep the respondent in custody for only 45 days for the applicant to conclude its investigation.
Mr Taiwo said, although the hearing of the application was one-sided as provided by 27(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act, the use of the word, “may”, in the provision “is directory” and not “discretionary”.
He said he would, therefore, be failing in his duty not to grant the request for a detention order.
He also said should the applicant require more time to conclude its investigation after the expiration of the first 45 days, it had the liberty to apply for its renewal.
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