SaharaReporters gathered that Ogbonna was being detained and tortured by the DSS over comments against President Muhammadu Buhari on his Facebook page.
A Federal Capital High Court has again granted bail to Abia State-based lawyer, Emperor Ogbonna, who has been held illegally by the Department of State Services.
Justice Taiwo on Tuesday ordered the lawyer to be released under a N2m bail bond and two sureties with evidence of payment of tax and affidavit of means.
The court also stated that one of the sureties must own a verified landed property in Abuja.
SaharaReporters gathered that Ogbonna was being detained and tortured by the DSS over comments against President Muhammadu Buhari on his Facebook page.
Ogbonna was arrested on March 24 by over 20 police officers in company with Chief of Staff to Abia State governor, Tony Agbazuere, and former Commissioner of Police in the state, Ene Okon, in his office for making some critical comments about Buhari and the governor via his Facebook page.
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He was subsequently arraigned for cybercrime and publishing false and threatening messages through the Internet against Governor Ikpeazu at a magistrate’s court in Umuahia.
He was later remanded at a correctional facility until April 28 when he was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Umuahia and was granted bail.
Ogbonna was, however, rearrested by DSS operatives on his way out of the correctional facility in Umuahia on the same day.
This was after he had perfected the bail conditions.
SaharaReporters learnt that the DSS moved the lawyer to its office in the state and subsequently its headquarters in Abuja where he has been in custody despite calls for his immediate release from several local and international human rights organisations including Amnesty Nigeria.