However, the secret police failed to produce the detained aides as ordered by the court.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has told the Department of State Security Service that when a court of competent jurisdiction gives an order, such order is meant to be obeyed.
This formed part of his submission while addressing the failure of the DSS to produce the 12 persons arrested during a midnight raid on the Ibadan home of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho.
The agency had on July 1 raided Igboho’s residence in Oyo.
Peter Afunanya, DSS spokesman, said the security agency recovered illegal arms including seven AK-47 rifles and thousands of ammunition from Igboho’s house.
The agency also paraded 12 supporters of the activist, who allegedly attacked DSS operatives during the raid.
The supporters were subsequently moved to the federal capital territory (FCT) where they have been in detention.
Owing to their detention, the suspects had through their lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, filed an application at the court asking the court to “inquire into the circumstances constituting grounds of their arrest and detention since July 2, 2021, and where it deems fit admit applicants on bail.”[story_link align="left"]97049[/story_link]
They also asked for an order “mandating and compelling the respondents to produce the applicants before this honourable court and show cause as to why the applicants should not be granted bail in accordance with the provisions of section 32 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.”
Ruling on the application on July 23, Obiora Egwatu, the judge, said there was merit in the application.
Consequently, the judge granted all the orders sought and asked the DSS to produce the applicants in court on July 29 (today) and also show cause on why the court should not admit them to bail conditionally or unconditionally.
However, the secret police failed to produce the detained aides as ordered by the court.
Counsel to the DSS, I. Awo, informed the court that the agency had no intention of disobeying the court’s order.
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, 2021 at Igboho’s house.
The counsel to the applicants, Pelumi Olajengbesi, alleged that the DSS had given the applicants new names as there are discrepancies in the spelling of their names.
Justice Egwuatu, however, held that the order of the court was for the DSS to produce the applicants in court.
He said that order should be obeyed first, before telling the court the circumstances of their arrest.
Justice Obiora reemphasised his order directing the respondent produce the applicants in court on 2nd August.
He also ordered the DSS to grant the applicants’ access to their counsel.