DSS fails to produce Sunday Igboho's 12 arrested aides in court at today's hearing

DEPARTMENT of State Services (DSS) officials failed to produce Sunday Adeyemo's 12 associates arrested during the July 1 raid on his Ibadan residence in court earlier today when the matter was heard in the Abuja Federal High Court.

On July one, DSS officers raided Mr Adeyemo's Ibadan home, killing two of his aides and arresting 12 others. Mr Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, managed to escape and fled to neighbouring Benin Republic where he is currently fighting extradition to Nigeria and seeking political asylum in Europe.

However, lawyers representing the 12 aides arrested during the raid have gone to court asking the DSS to produce them. They have been named as Abdulateef Ofeyagbe, Amoda Babatunde, Tajudeen Erinoyen, Diakola Ademola, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Noah, Ayobami Donald, Adelabe Usman, Oluwapelimi Kunle, Raji Kazeem, Taiwo Opeyemi and Bamidele Sunday.

When the matter was heard today, Justice Obiora Egwuatu  ordered that the DSS to grant their lawyer access to the detained aides. After giving the order, he ordered the DSS to show cause why the Igboho’s aides should not be admitted to bail and then adjourned the case until Monday.

Pelumi Olajengbesi, the counsel to the applicants, alleged that the DSS had given the them new names as there are discrepancies in the spelling of their names. At the last adjourned date, he moved an ex parte motion asking the court for an order mandating and compelling the respondents to produce the applicants to enable the court inquire into the circumstances constituting grounds of their arrest and detention since July 1.

In addition, Mr Olajengbesi also sought the order of the court mandating and compelling the respondents to produce the applicants before the court and show cause as to why the applicants should not be granted bail in accordance with the provision of section 32 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and other extant laws in Nigeria. He argued that the applicants are citizens of Nigeria with inherent rights, adding that since they were arrested, no one has heard from them for more than four weeks.