RE: DSS And The 6th December Federal High Court, Abuja Incident By Lucky Ighoyota

On Saturday, December 7, 24 hours after the debacle at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the Department of State Services prevaricated about the real fact just to offset its damaged reputation.

It is no surprise to us or the general public, who are now used to the DSS’ novelties of historical records of numerous lies m intended to create a false or misleading impression.

The invasion of the Federal High Court on Friday by DSS operatives to perfect a rearrest of Omoyele Sowore and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, less than 24 hours after they were granted bail is the highest act of sacrilege against the judicial arm of government that the operative has constantly expressed contempt for.

After willfully violating two different court orders that granted bail to Omoyele Sowore, and until Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu’s 24-hour ultimatum to the operative, it became an obvious fact that the compliance with the court order was with the ulterior motive of releasing and rearresting Sowore, just to be seen to have obeyed the pending court.

During the court proceeding of the day under reference, defence counsel, Femi Falana (SAN), intimated the judge of the intention of the DSS to rearrest Sowore, but it was overlooked.

However, as soon as Sowore was about stepping out of the courtroom, DSS operatives laid hands on him to rearrest him without a charge; hence, the pandemonium between the violent operatives of the DSS and supporters of Sowore who couldn’t comprehend the justification for a rearrest barely 24 hours after his release.

Eyewitness and media accounts have it that the DSS operatives stormed the courtroom violently and disrupted proceeding for which the sitting judge, Justice Ojukwu, had to scamper for safety.

In the press release of the DSS, it accused Sowore’s supporters of shielding him from an “imaginary arrest.” But in reality, the rearrest already proved that it wasn’t an imaginary arrest. 

Since Sowore’s appearances in court over this case with the DSS, armed operatives of the service in the court premises on December 6 were greater in number than ever. This is to show that Sowore’s rearrest was a decision reached by the service even before his release on December 5!

On the claim by the DSS that its operatives were not inside the courtroom to carry out the rearrest, a critical look at the videos in circulation by the media and eyewitnesses revealed that some men of the operatives not dressed in DSS’ branded uniform dragging Sowore on the ground inside the courtroom.

One of the service men inside the courtroom to forcefully rearrest Sowore was Marshall. He was not dressed in the branded uniform of the DSS. He was in a black jacket as seen in all videos in circulation.

Marshall was always the DSS operative restraining Sowore from speaking with the press during his previous appearances in court.

Also, it is worthy to note that Sowore while still within the premises of the court told this same Marshall that he was a disgrace. 

With this fact alone, it is abundantly clear that after 24 hours of silence over the court debacle by the DSS, in a bid to salvage their publicly damaged reputation, they still couldn’t manufacture a “smart lie” that serves to make amends.

It is unthinkable of the DSS to accuse Sowore of addressing a group of persons at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, on the same day of his release of a “reassured cause” to create anarchy in the country. 

This allegation is spurious, bogus, fake, and inauthentic.The DSS intends to make the public think something that is not true. 

In other words, the DSS is trying to establish the basis for rearresting Sowore to be that he had violated one of his bail conditions. This is laughable!

It is on record that when the DSS earlier insisted on validating the sureties to Sowore’s bail, Justice m Ojukwu asked the counsel to the DSS if the agency was running a parallel court.

Most reasonably now, if a bail condition has been violated, it is of the same court that gave the conditions to determine that. The bail conditions were not by the DSS but by the court.

By DSS’ inconsistent actions, the agency has assumed both the role of the court, the law, and the judge in this matter. This is a tragedy and a travesty of justice. 

DSS’ historical records of numerous lies, human right violations, court contempt, and the recent desecration of the court all speak of one truth, which is, the operative is unabashedly unruly and does not have the genetic composition to abide by the law. 

There is no plan by any one group connected to Omoyele Sowore to organise an insurrection in the country. A wise saying has it that the evil that men do live after them. DSS’ unequivocal reputation for false alarms is a psychological self-defense mechanism to preempt the provocative paranoia their oppressive tendencies are stirring in Nigerians. 

The agency is gradually militarising our democracy by its undemocratic actions and terrorising assaults on dissenting voices of truth.

We are requesting well meaning Nigerians to lend a voice of opposition to this assault on our democracy, institutions, and freedom of expression as enshrined in our constitution.

Also, we are demanding the unconditional release of Omoyele Sowore from illegal detention.