A lawyer, Femi Falana, yesterday said the federal
government has applied to the Federal High Court
in Abuja for an order of transfer the publisher of
Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, and his co-
accused, Olawale Bakare, from the custody of the
State Security Service (SSS) to prison.
Messrs Sowore and Bakare have been in the
custody of the SSS since August. They were arrested
for planning a protest popularised with the hashtag
#RevolutionNow.
The SSS had refused to release both men despite
two separate court orders.
The two men are facing trial on seven counts of
treasonable felony, fraud, cyber-stalking and
insulting President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a letter dated December 1 and addressed to the
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of
Justice, Abubakar Malami, Mr Falana, who is the
lawyer representing the accused, requested the
minister to direct the SSS to release his clients.
Mr Falana urged Mr Malami to ensure compliance
with the orders of the courts.
The senior counsel also threatened to report the
AGF and Hassan Liman, the prosecutor appointed
by the minister to prosecute the publisher and his
co-accused, to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA)
and the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary
Committee, to take disciplinary actions against
them for allegedly encouraging the SSS to continue
to disobey the orders of court for his clients’
release.
Mr Falana said, “In treating the court order with
provocative contempt, the State Security Service
has insisted on approving the sureties of our clients
after they have been verified by the Federal High
Court.
“From the information at our disposal, there is no
precedent whatsoever for the illegal demand.
“Instead of purging the security agency of such
contempt of the Federal High Court, the prosecutor,
Dr Hassan Liman (SAN), engaged by your good self
to prosecute our clients, has curiously applied to
the trial court to have them transferred to a correctional centre and
detained indefinitely for having the temerity to question the illegal
directive to produce their sureties.”
The senior lawyer added that, “In view of the fact that the Federal
Government has never given any precondition before complying
with the orders of the British Court in the case of P & ID and other
matters, we are compelled to request you to direct the State Security
Service to comply with the orders of the Federal High Court for the
unconditional release of our clients.
“Take notice that if you fail to accede to our request, we shall be
compelled to carry out the firm instructions of our clients to pursue
the contempt proceedings which have been initiated against Mr
Yusuf Bichi, the Director-General of the State Security Service.
“In addition, we shall also report your good self and the prosecutor
to the Nigerian Bar Association and the Legal Practitioners
Privileges Committee for encouraging the State Security Service to
treat orders of Nigerian courts with disdain while you are anxious to
obey the orders of British courts” Mr Falana said.
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