Justice Christopher Dominic Mapeo of the court directed the secret police, DSS to release the trio unconditionally, stressing that "further detention is illegal."
An Adamawa High Court on Thursday ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to release three detained members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with immediate effect.
Justice Christopher Dominic Mapeo of the court directed the secret police, DSS to release the trio unconditionally, stressing that "further detention is illegal."
SaharaReporters reported on Wednesday that Leonard Nzadon, counsel for three PDP members accused of assaulting an officer of the DSS in Adamawa State, said operatives of the agency threatened to break the leg of his colleague who tried to serve them court papers.
The detained PDP members had approached the court to seek the enforcement of their fundamental rights to liberty.
On Thursday, Justice Dominic, who ruled on the application, adjourned the hearing of the motion on notice to May 3, 2023, and for and for the counsel for the 3rd defendant to file a defence.
The applicants, Yusuf Mohammed, Zira John and Solomon Abafras, claimed that they had been held in a DSS detention facility for over seven days without trial.
The trio were arrested for allegedly assaulting a DSS assistant director, Suleiman Halilu Isa, who accused the disgraced Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Hudu Yunusa-Ari of collecting a bribe of N2 billion to rig the governorship election in the state.
Their lead counsel, Nzadon, approached the court on April 20, 2023, to enforce their rights to liberty.
Earlier, while addressing the court at the resumed sitting on Thursday, one of the counsels for the applicants, Abayomi Akamode, informed the court that the DSS had sent text messages, requesting bail sureties for the detained suspects.
He, however, explained that they couldn't respond because "the DSS might dribble us."
Instead, Akamode begged the court for an emphatic order for the release of his clients.