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By Chukwudi Nweje, Lagos
Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere has said that the recent judgements of the High court in Ibadan and the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Mr Sunday “Igboho” Adeyemo and his detained aides have rekindled hope in the country’s judiciary.
Justice Oladiran Akintola of the High Court in Ibadan and Justice Obiora Egwaatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, in separate rulings, gave some reprieve to Igboho and his associates.
Justice Akintola granted an ex-parte motion restraining the Directorate of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) from arresting, intimidating, harassing and blocking bank accounts of Adeyemo and also restraint the DSS from freezing Adeyemo’s bank accounts.
Justice Egwaatu in Abuja, on the other hand, granted bails to the 12 aides of Adeyemo who were arrested on July 1, this year by the DSS at the Soka residence of the Yoruba nation agitator.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, Afenifere said the actions of the two justices have reinforced their confidence in the judiciary.
It said: ‘The verdicts given by Justices Oladiran Akintola and Obiora Egwaatu further reinforce our confidence in the judiciary. It took valiant legal efforts of Barrister Pelumi Olajengbensi to counter the efforts of the DSS lawyer, I. Awo, who tried to stop the suspects from being granted bails. Afenifere saluted the courage of Justice Egwaatu for granting the bails especially given the fact that the suspects have been in the custody of the DSS for 34 days without being charged to court. This is against the expressed provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which, in Section 35(4), stipulates that a suspect be charged to court within 24 hours of arrest. Afenifere praised Justice Egwaatu for insisting that all the detainees be brought to court when the DSS was literally playing hide and seek with their fate.
‘In a saner clime, their initial submission of not knowing where some of the detainees were should earn the officials’ concern sanction. They did so all in an attempt to prevent the detainees from getting justice. We salute Justice Egwaatu for standing firm and for eventually granting the detainees bails.’
The Afenifere spokesman added that since it is the ‘constitution that stipulates the time period of 24 hours within which a suspect must be charged to court after arrest, any officer or agency of government that contravenes this aspect of the law must be sanctioned severely to serve as a deterrence to others. It is the failure to sanction erring officials of the government in the past that emboldened others to trample on the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.’
The group also commended Justice Akintola for granting the prayers of Igboho’s lawyer, Yomi Alliyu, in the course of arguing the N500 billion case he instituted against the DSS for damages caused when the agency forcefully invaded his client’s house. ‘The verdicts of Justices Akintola and Egwaatu confirm the exhortation that the court is the place to go when one’s right is infringed upon,’ Afenifere said.
