Justice Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja suddenly went “missing” after the 12 detained associates of Igboho met all their bail conditions.
A judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, has signed the release warrant of four of the 12 detained aides of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
According to one of the counsels to the detainees, the release warrant of the remaining eight could not be signed on Monday as the sureties withdrew during the process.
The names of the 12 detained aides are; Abdullateef Ofegbade, Amudat Habibat Babatunde, aka Lady K, Tajudeen Irinloye, Diekola Jubril Ademola, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Noah Oyetunji, Ayobami Donald, Uthman Opeyemi Adelabu, Olakinle Oluwapelumi, Raji Kazeem, Taiwo Opeyemi Tajudeen, and Bamidele Sunday.
The operatives of the DSS had raided Igboho’s house in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on July 1, and arrested 12 of his aides who were illegally detained for weeks, before the victims went ahead to challenge their detention and rights’ abuse in court.
“The release order of the contested four aides has been signed. We have a setback with the eight because the sureties withdrew before concluding the process. We have the set back because three sureties for the eight withdrew,” Pelumi Olajengbesi, the lawyer to the aides told SaharaReporters.
SaharaReporters had last week Wednesday reported that the detained aides had met all their bail conditions.
SaharaReporters had on Tuesday reported that Justice Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja suddenly went “missing” after the 12 detained associates of Igboho met all their bail conditions.[story_link align="left"]97809[/story_link]
According to the source, when they took the detainees to the judge, "they were told that he did not come to work and had left instructions that another judge must not sign on his behalf.”
SaharaReporters had learnt that Justice Egwuatu was supposed to sign the release warrant of the detainees but the bail office of the court had said he was not available to do so.
However, Olajengbesi, the detainees’ lawyer on Tuesday approached the bail office of the court to assign another judge to sign the release warrant of his clients who had been detained in the custody of the Department of State Services for about 50 days.
Olajengbesi had said the confirmation of the sureties had been completed, adding that he was at the bail office of the court on Tuesday waiting for the judge to sign the release order of his clients, but was told that Justice Egwuatu had travelled.
“We have met all the bail conditions and the deputy registrar at the bail office has signed a memo to that effect. However, I was told by the bail office that the judge that will sign their release order has travelled out urgently for a seminar and will not return till next week,” the detainees’ lawyer had stated.
“We think that these events are happening coincidentally which affect us essentially. Usually, when a particular judge who is supposed to sign a release warrant is not on the ground, another judge can sign a release warrant because it has to do with the liberty of citizens.
“We have made efforts to reach out to another judge today and the judge gave us an appointment for tomorrow. We are hopeful that the judge will sign it. We do not think that it is a ploy to frustrate us,” Olajengbesi had added.