SSS Files Remand Application, Asks Court To Cancel Igboho’s Associates’ Bail

The Department of State Services has filed a remand application
at the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking the court to nullify the
bail earlier granted to four of the 12 detained associates of
embattled Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday
Igboho.

In the motion no FHC/ABJ/CS/647/2021, filed on Monday by the DSS
lawyer, Idowu Awo, the secret police urged Justice Obiora Egwuatu
to cancel the bail granted to Amudat Babatunde, Abideen Shittu,
Jamiu Oyetunji, and Bamidele Sunday.

The DSS lawyer urged the court to remand the four detainees
“pending their arraignment during court vacation”.

Reacting, the lawyer to the detainees, Pelumi Olajengbesi, told
The PUNCH that the remand application by the DSS was
“laughable”.

“We have seen the new application filed by the DSS to continue
the incarceration of innocent people that have been in their
custody for over a month. It is laughable and turned logic upside
down that after over a month in the DSS custody, the DSS still
needs more days to punish them. I can assure you this will fail,”
he said.

Recall that Justice Egwuatu, last Wednesday, admitted the 12
applicants to bail after spending five weeks in the custody of the
secret police, following their arrest on July 1, 2021, at Igboho’s
Ibadan residence raided by DSS operatives around 1am.

The secret police had also said it killed two other associates
of the activist in a gun duel and subsequently declared Igboho
wanted for allegedly stockpiling arms to destabilise Nigeria under
the pretext of Yoruba Nation. But the activist, who is now in a
Beninese detention facility, had denied the allegation.

The DSS lawyer had told the court that he was not opposing the
bail of eight of the applicants as their investigations revealed
that the levels of their involvement in the offence of arms
stockpiling and other criminal activities were minimal.

But the DSS lawyer had argued that four others, Babatunde,
Shittu, Oyetunji and Sunday, should not be granted bail in the
interest of justice and national security.

Olajengbesi had, however, prayed the court to discountenance the
argument of the DSS as it was unknown to the Nigerian law. Justice
Egwuatu had disregarded Awo’s argument and granted the 12 detainees
bail.

However, the bail perfection of the 12 detainees suffered a
setback last Friday when their lawyer, Olajengbesi, said he got to
the bail office of the court and learnt that the court required 24
sureties, which he said was in contrast to four sureties earlier
demanded by the court.

The Department of State Services has filed a remand application
at the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking the court to nullify the
bail earlier granted to four of the 12 detained associates of
embattled Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday
Igboho.

In the motion no FHC/ABJ/CS/647/2021, filed on Monday by the DSS
lawyer, Idowu Awo, the secret police urged Justice Obiora Egwuatu
to cancel the bail granted to Amudat Babatunde, Abideen Shittu,
Jamiu Oyetunji, and Bamidele Sunday.

The DSS lawyer urged the court to remand the four detainees
“pending their arraignment during court vacation”.

Reacting, the lawyer to the detainees, Pelumi Olajengbesi, told
The PUNCH that the remand application by the DSS was
“laughable”.

“We have seen the new application filed by the DSS to continue
the incarceration of innocent people that have been in their
custody for over a month. It is laughable and turned logic upside
down that after over a month in the DSS custody, the DSS still
needs more days to punish them. I can assure you this will fail,”
he said.

Recall that Justice Egwuatu, last Wednesday, admitted the 12
applicants to bail after spending five weeks in the custody of the
secret police, following their arrest on July 1, 2021, at Igboho’s
Ibadan residence raided by DSS operatives around 1am.

The secret police had also said it killed two other associates
of the activist in a gun duel and subsequently declared Igboho
wanted for allegedly stockpiling arms to destabilise Nigeria under
the pretext of Yoruba Nation. But the activist, who is now in a
Beninese detention facility, had denied the allegation.

The DSS lawyer had told the court that he was not opposing the
bail of eight of the applicants as their investigations revealed
that the levels of their involvement in the offence of arms
stockpiling and other criminal activities were minimal.

But the DSS lawyer had argued that four others, Babatunde,
Shittu, Oyetunji and Sunday, should not be granted bail in the
interest of justice and national security.

Olajengbesi had, however, prayed the court to discountenance the
argument of the DSS as it was unknown to the Nigerian law. Justice
Egwuatu had disregarded Awo’s argument and granted the 12 detainees
bail.

However, the bail perfection of the 12 detainees suffered a
setback last Friday when their lawyer, Olajengbesi, said he got to
the bail office of the court and learnt that the court required 24
sureties, which he said was in contrast to four sureties earlier
demanded by the court.