Ogunlana also faulted the Presidency and executive arm of government for failing to comply with the court order and planning to re-arraign Sowore before another judge.
Immediate-past Chairman of the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Adesina Ogunlana, has condemned the flagrant disregard of a court order by the Department of State Services by refusing to release pro-democracy campaigner and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, from detention.
Ogunlana also faulted the Presidency and executive arm of government for failing to comply with the court order and planning to re-arraign Sowore before another judge.
Ogunlana, who is the Convener of Citizens' Rally against Oppression, urged all legal practitioners in the country to protest recent actions aimed at belittling the profession.
He also called on the National President of the Nigerian Bar Association to lead the action in resisting the move against the constitution.
He said, “There is a need to reposition the Nigerian Bar Association as a social force against impunity.
“Lawyers must arise through their branches of the Nigerian Bar Association to pass resolutions at their October 2019 monthly branch meetings to organise series of civic actions to protest the rape of the independence of the judiciary as witnessed in the last one week.
“The Paul Usoro-led national leadership must spring into action on this latest attack on the judiciary by issuing a strong worded statement against the attack and also take a decisive resolution up to declaration of mass protests, judiciary strike and court boycott until sanity is restored.”
The DSS plans to secretly arraign Sowore before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu on a fresh seven-count charge on Monday after refusing to honour last Tuesday’s order of Federal High Court, Abuja, directing Sowore to be released.