- 12 supporters granted bail
An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, the state capital, yesterday granted an order restraining Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Department of State Security Service (DSS) and its Oyo State director from arresting or harassing the embattled Yoruba nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo (aka Sunday Igboho).
The court order followed an ex parte motion filed and moved by his lawyer, Chief Yomi Aliu (SAN), on the substantive suit seeking a declaration on the invasion of his house as illegal.
DSS personnel had invaded Igboho’s Ibadan home on July 1, killing two persons and arresting 12 others who have been paraded in Abuja.
Igboho is currently standing trial over alleged immigration offences in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
The embattled Yoruba nation campaigner urged the court to declare the invasion of his house illegal, saying it was an infringement on his fundamental human rights.
The suit, which is an originating motion, is also seeking N500 billion damages for the invasion.
The ex parte motion, dated July 22, was filed pursuant to Order 4, Rules 3, 4 and 6 of the fundamental rights (enforcement procedure) Rules 2009.
It prayed the court for an interim injunction “pending the determination of this suit restraining the respondents, their agents, privies and associates in other security forces and/or anybody acting on their behalf and/or instructions from killing, arresting, detaining, molesting, harassing and/or in any way interfere with the applicant’s fundamental rights to life, personal liberty, freedom of movement and peaceful enjoyment of his property without fear of invasion of his home by the respondents and their agents pending the hearing of the applicant’s Originating Motion, among others.
None of the three respondents was either present or represented in court.
Hearing in the suit was adjourned till August 18.
Also, a Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday granted bail to the 12 associates of Sunday Igboho who were detained by the DSS since July 1.
In a ruling, Justice Obiora Egwuatu averred that there was no charge pending against the applicants in any court.
He granted eight of them, whose bail application was not challenged by the DSS, N5 million bail each.
The judge also granted N10 million to each of the other four detainees whose application was challenged by the DSS.
Those who got N5 million bail each are: Abdulateef Onaolapo, Tajudeen Erinoye, Diekola Jubril, Ayobami Donald, Uthman Adelabu, Oluwafemi Kunle, Raji Kazeem and Bamidele Sunday.
Justice Egwuatu ordered each of the detainees to produce two sureties, one of whom must be an employee of the Federal Government from Grade Level 12 and above.
He said the sureties must be resident in Abuja, must have landed property and must swear to an affidavit of means, besides providing evidence of three years of tax payment.
The judge also ordered that the title documents of the property must be verified by the court’s Registrar and the DSS.
Justice Egwuatu added that the four granted N10 million bail are to report to the DSS on the first Monday of every month for the next three months.
The four others, the judge also said, should remain in DSS custody until they are able to meet the bail conditions.
While arguing the bail application, lawyer to the detainees, Pelumi Olajengbesi, had impressed it on the court that his clients had been in DSS custody for over 30 days.
DSS lawyer Idowu Awo said he was not opposed to the court granting bail to eight of the detainees.
But Awo said he was opposed to bail for the other four, who he added were still being investigated for their complicity in alleged arm stockpiling offence.
The DSS produced all the 12 detainees in court yesterday; it had brought only eight of them to court on the previous adjourned date.
The Nation
