The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday adjourned the suit brought by the twelve detained aides of Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho as the Department of State Services failed to produce them.
The DSS was also ordered by the presiding judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to allow lawyers access to the detained persons.
The counsel for 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 at Igboho’s house.
The counsel for the applicants, Pelumi Olajengbesi, alleged that the DSS had given the applicants new names as there are discrepancies in the spelling of their names, The PUNCH reports.
Recall that the detained aides had 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, Pelumi Olajengbesi, had 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, 2021, 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.
During his adumbration, Olajengbesi had also informed the court that they approached the court as the applicants were arrested and they have not heard from them ever since.
He had stated that the exhibit which formed part of his motion was a letter written to the DSS to enable the applicants gain access to their lawyer and family members.
He had also lamented that in spite of the letter, the DSS did not oblige them access to the applicants who have been in their custody for over twenty days.
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.
