Omoyele Sowore
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the
Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi; and
the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar
Malami, to explain why Omoyele Sowore is still being detained after he
was granted bail by the court, according to a report by Punch.
Justice Inyang Ekwo made the order in a ruling on an ex parte
application filed on Sowore’s behalf by his lawyer, Mr. Marshal
Abubakar.
Abubakar had, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/407/2018, urged the
court to order the DSS boss and the AGF to produce Sowore in court “for an unconditional release” from custody, based on the bail already granted him by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu.
The DSS and the AGF had arraigned Sowore and his co-defendant,
Olawale Bakare, on charges of treasonable felony, before Justice Ojukwu.
But ruling on the application moved by Abubakar on Tuesday, Justice
Ekwo said he needed to hear from the two defendants before taking a
decision.
He then adjourned the case till December 23 as he directed the
Deputy Chief Registrar of the court to serve hearing notices on the two
defendants.
Sowore was rearrested violently by the operatives of the DSS at the
Federal High Court in Abuja on December 6, barely 24 hours after he was
released from custody that lasted over four months.
He has since been held in custody,6y with no fresh charges instituted against him.
His lead counsel, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), had earlier in a statement
on Tuesday, urged the AGF, who said he had taken over the prosecution
of the defendants from the DSS, to direct the agency to immediately to
release the Sahara Reporters publisher from “illegal” detention.
Falana said there was no court’s detention order or an arrest
warrant backing the rearrest and continued detention of his client.