You Lied, We Waited in Vain to Receive Sowore And Bakare, Falana Faults DSS’ Claim

• Falana says SSS would have contacted him if they want to release Sowore.
• The SSS decided not to release Sowore to our lawyers who waited in vain for not less than four hours.

A human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), has faulted the claim by the Department of State Services (DSS) that they were still holding the convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore, and Olawale Bakare because none of their lawyers was available to take their delivery from custody since Thursday.

Recall that the DSS had acknowledged the receipt of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court’s warrants for the release of the two men issued by the two defendants served on its headquarters in Abuja on Thursday. The security agency, however, said it did not release Sowore and Bakare because there was no lawyer to receive them.

Reacting to their claim via a statement, Falana said that that the DSS decided not to release his two clients to his lawyers- Stanley Imhanruor, Effiong Inihebe and Marshal Abubakar who waited in vain for not less than four hours at the DSS headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

READ: DSS Confirms Receiving Court Order, Says No One Has Come to Pick Sowore

Falana, therefore, stated that having acknowledged the service of the warrants for his clients’ release, two lawyers from his law firm would be at the DSS office to take the two detainees home on today.

“On November 6, 2019, the bailiff of the Federal High Court in Abuja wanted to serve the reproduction warrants issued by the court on the Director-General of the State Security Service.

“But the SSS asked the bailiff to call back at 10.00 am on November 7, 2019. The bailiff did and served the reproduction warrants on the DG of the SSS.

“Upon acknowledging the service of the reproduction warrants, the SSS assured the bailiff and lawyers from the defence team that our clients would be released on Thursday.

“But the SSS decided not to release our clients to our lawyers who waited in vain for not less than four hours.

“When Sowore said that he would not make a statement without first consulting with me, the SSS management called me on the phone on August 8, 2019.

“Assuming the SSS had wanted to release our clients, the management would have contacted me.

“It is pertinent to point out that the meaning of reproduction warrant issued by a trial court is that the defendants be produced for the purpose of releasing them having met their bail conditions.

“In the instant case, the Federal High Court did not order the SSS to hand over Messrs Sowore and Bakare to any person but to produce them for the purpose of releasing them having met the suffocating bail conditions imposed on them by the trial court.

“Even though the SSS disobeyed the order of Justice Taiwo Taiwo for the release of Mr Sowore on September 24, 2019, it has announced its readiness to comply with the order of Justice Ifeoma Ojukwu for the release of Sowore and Bakare from illegal custody.”

READ: You Are Not Qualified to Stand As Surety for Me, Sowore Tells Apostle Suleman

He thanked Nigerians, who demanded unconditional compliance with the orders of the Federal High Court.

“We have directed two lawyers from our law firm to contact the management of the SSS for the release of our clients at 10.00 am on November 9, 2019.”