Justice Obiora Egwatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, ordered the Director General of the Department of State Services, DSS, to produce the 12 detained aides of the Yoruba Nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo popularlly known as Sunday Igboho, in court on July 29.
This came barely 23 days after the 12 detainees were arrested during a raid on the residence of Sunday Igboho in Soka, Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday, July 1.
The judge also ordered that the DSS boss appears in court on the day to defend why the court should not grant bail to Igboho’s aides conditionally or unconditionally.
The court gave the order in a ruling on an ex parte application filed and argued by Pelumi Olajemgbesi on behalf of the detainees.
Justice Egwuatu’s decision was predicated on the argument by lawyer Olajemgbesi that the 12 aides of Igboho have been arrested and held incommunicado in an underground cell since July 2.
The court said that it has taken into consideration the provisions of sections 35, and 36 of the 1999 constitution as well as section 32 of the Administration of Human Right Act and saw the need to interfere in the matter of the applicants.
Justice Egwuatu subsequently ordered parties in the matter to appear before him next Thursday.
Applicants in the matter are Abdulateef Ofeyagbe, Amoda Babatunde, Tajudeen Erinoyen, Diakola Ademola, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Noah, and Ayobami Donald.
Others are Adelabe Usman, Oluwapelumi Kunle, Raji Kazeem, Taiwo Opeyemi and Bamidele Sunday.
The two respondents in the matter were Director General, Department of State Services (DSS), and the DSS.
Meanwhile, the Ooni of Ife, His Royal Majesty Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi has raised a crack team comprises 28 members to look into Igboho’s arrest in Benin Republic and the alleged invasion of his house by the Department of State Services (DSS) on July 1, 2021.
The team is headed by a Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Tolu Odebiyi.
In a related development, the six governors in the South-West geopolitical zone have kept mum over Igboho’s arrest by Benin Republic and planned extradition to Nigeria.
The governors are Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), and Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos).
Efforts to get the comments of Akeredolu, who is the Chairman of South-West Governors’ Forum, proved abortive as the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, neither took several calls to his line nor replied a text message sent to his line by our correspondent.
However, a top source in the South-West said Igboho threw caution into the winds and shunned many wise counsels offered him before his ordeal.
“It is understandable if the governors don’t want to make any public statement on the matter. Nobody wants to identify with Igboho, the governors don’t support his struggle as they are convinced of one strong, indissoluble Nigeria. Igboho was called to order many times in the secret but he came out in public to abuse the governors, monarchs and other elder statesmen in the South-West.”
