Just in: DSS opposes bail for 4 out of 12 detained Igboho’s aides

Igboho’s aides arrested by DSS: DSS brought them to court on Wednesday

By Taiye Agbaje
Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services, DSS has asked the court not to grant bail to four out of the 12 aides of Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Igboho who have been in detention since 1 July,
Counsel to the DSS, I. Awo, opposed the application for bail for four of the applicants in custody after the lawyer to the detainees prayed a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja to admit his clients to bail unconditionally on Wednesday.
Olajengbesi made the plea following the production of the 12 detainees before Justice Obiora Egwuatu on Wednesday.
Olajengbesi told the court that contrary to the Section 35(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which stipulated that a suspect be charged to court within 24 hours, the DSS had kept the applicants for about 34 days in detention.
However through he did not oppose the application for bail for eight others, the lawyer to the DSS asked the court to allow the secret police to continue to keep four of them in custody.

The four applicants whom the service wants to keep for further investigation are; Amudat Babatunde (AKA Lady K), Okoyemi Tajudeen, Abideen Shittu and Jamiu Oyetunji.

The service claimed that “investigation so far revealed high level of complicity on their parts”.

Awo told the court that it will not be in the interest of Justice and National Interest to release the four on bail. He added that they may jump bail and not make themselves available for further investigation or possible prosecution.

Awo added Igboho had ran out of the country after he was declared wanted and was currently standing trial in Benin Republic.

But Olajengbesi, argued that it took the intervention of the Court for him to meet with the applicants and it  would amount to an affront on the nation’s Constitution and an infringement of fundamental rights of the applicants for the DSS to continue to keep them in custody.

He further argued that investigation cannot be indefinite, adding that the DSS does not need 34 days to investigate a case of alleged firearms.

“We pray the court to admit all of them to bail unconditionally”, olajengbesi submitted.

He argued that this was due to the level of their involvement in the offence preferred against them.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the applicants, who had been in the detention of the Department of State Service (DSS) since July 2, had approached the court through their lawyer to seek for their fundamental rights enforcement.
Justice Egwuatu then stood down the matter for ruling.
The court had last Thursday, issued a fresh order on the Director-General of the DSS  to produce before it 12 detained aides of the alleged Yoruba secessionist leader, Sunday Igboho

The fresh order followed the refusal of the security agency to make them available for bail consideration as ordered by the court on July 23, 2021.Justice Obiora Egwuatu issued the fresh order following an appeal by DSS counsel, Idowu Awo, that the agency is given another time to comply with the order.

They are Abdulateef Ofeyagbe, Amoda Babatunde, Tajudeen Erinoyen, Diakola Ademola, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Noah, and Ayobami Donald.

Others are Adelabe Usman, Oluwapelimi Kunle, Raji Kazeem, Taiwo Opeyemi and Bamidele Sunday, while the two respondents in the matter are DG, DSS and the DSS.

The alleged offenses of the applicants, according to the DSS,  include; arms stock pilling and other crimes.

The DSS claimed that when it raided the house of Igboho it recovered 7 AK 47 riffles, 3 pump action guns, 221 live ammunition, I jackknife and 19 walkie talkies.