Femi
Falana, senior of advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says lawyers waited to
receive Omoyele Sowore at the headquarters of the Department of State
Services (DSS) after a court order to release him was served.
The
DSS had on Friday said it received the order to free the convener of
the Revolution Now movement, but there was no one to stand on his
behalf.
But in a statement, Falana, lead counsel to Sowore, said
the DSS statement is misleading as the agency already told the lawyers
that Sowore would be released.
“On 6/11/19 the bailiff of the
federal high court wanted to serve the reproduction warrants issued by
the court on the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS).
But the SSS asked the Bailiff to call back at 10.00 am on 7/11/19. The
bailiff did and was able to serve the reproduction warrants on the DG of
the SSS,” he said.
“Upon acknowledging the service of the
reproduction warrants the SSS assured the bailiff and five lawyers from
the defence team that our clients would be released yesterday. But the
SSS decided not to release our clients to our lawyers who waited in vain
in the agency’s headquarters for not less than 4 hours.
“When
Sowore said that he would not make a statement without first consulting
with me the SSS management called me on phone on 6/8/19. Assuming the
SSS had wanted to release our clients since yesterday the management
would have contacted me.
“It is pertinent to point out that the
meaning of reproduction warrant issued by a trial court is that the
defendants be produced for the purpose of releasing them having met
their bail conditions. In the instant case, the
federal high court
did not order the SSS to hand over Messrs Sowore and Bakare to any
person but to produce them for the purpose of releasing them having met
the suffocating bail conditions imposed on them by the trial court.
“Even
though the SSS disobeyed the order of the Honourable Justice Taiwo for
the release of Mr. Sowore on 24/9/19 it has turned round to announce
its readiness to comply with the order of the Honourable Justice Ifeoma
Ojukwu for the release of Sowore and Bakare from illegal custody.”
He added that lawyers from his firm have been directed to contact the DSS on Saturday for the release of Sowore.
He also urged Sowore to call off his hunger strike.
Sowore has been in DSS detention since August when he was arrested for planning a nationwide protest.