Court Stops DSS from Arresting Igboho

•Admits associates of agitator to N10m, N5m bail

Alex Enumah in Abuja and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

An Ibadan High Court presided over by Justice Ladiran Akintola, yesterday, granted an order of interim injunction restraining the DSS and other security agencies from arresting, detaining, molesting or killing Chief Sunday Adeyemo otherwise called Sunday Igboho.

The court also granted an order forbidding the DSS and the other security agencies from blocking his bank accounts.

Similarly, Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, yesterday, granted bail to 12 of Sunday Igboho’s associates held in custody by the DSS since July 2, 2021.

Justice Egwuatu subsequently admitted the applicants to bail, which ranged between 10,000,000 and N5,000,000 while ruling in the applications filed to that effect.

Igboho, in the suit No M/435/2021 by his counsel, Chief Yomi Aliyu, SAN, listed the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the State Security Service (SSS) and Director, State Security Service (SSS), and Oyo State, as respondents.

Aliyu, while arguing for the orders to be granted, said the orders were necessary, because Igboho’s life was in danger.

According to him, his residence in Ibadan was invaded on July 1, by operatives of the DSS in collaboration with the Army, his property was destroyed, innocent souls killed and a cat whom they thought Igboho changed into was also shot at.

He informed the court that pictorial evidence of the destruction of the building, blood stains and the cat shot were attached to the processes filled before the court.

Thus, in a ruling that lasted five minutes, Justice Akintola granted the orders and adjourned the case to August 18 for hearing of the originating motion, stating that the respondents must be served before the day.

“I hereby grant an order of injunction restraining the respondents, their agents, privies, and/or associates in other security forces and/or anybody acting on their behalf and/or instructions from killing, arresting, detaining, molesting, harassing, and/or in way interfere with the applicant’s fundamental rights to life, personal liberty, freedom of movement and peaceful enjoyment of his property without fear of invasion of his house by the respondents and their agents pending the hearing of the applicant’s originating motion.

“Also an order restraining the respondents, their agents, privies and/or associates in other security forces and/or anybody acting on their behalf and/or instructions from blocking the accounts of the applicant in any bank and/or placing no debit thereon and directing them to lift same where they had so acted pending the hearing of the applicant’s originating summon,” he said.

From the Abuja High Court, Justice Egwuatu, who held that there was no charge against the applicants admitted four of the applicants’ bail in the sum of N10 million each with two sureties in like sum, while the remaining eight were granted bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety each.

The four applicants who were granted N10 million bail were Amudat Babatunde (AKA Lady K), Okoyemi Tajudeen, Abideen Shittu and Jamiu Oyetunji.

The others admitted to N5 million bail were Abdulateef Onaolapo, Tajudeen Erinoye, Diekola Jubril, Ayobami Donald, Uthman Adelabu, Oluwafemi Kunle, Raji Kazeem and Bamidele Sunday.

One of the sureties, the court held, must be an employee of the federal government on grade level 12 and above.

The sureties, who must be resident in Abuja and have properties, must swear to an affidavit of means.

The judge also ordered that the title deeds of the said property must be verified by the Court registrar and the DSS in addition to evidence of three years tax payment.

The sureties were also to submit all travel documents to the court.

Meanwhile, the four applicants have been asked to report to the DSS on the first Monday of every month for the next three months.

Egwuatu, in addition, held that the four applicants should remain in the custody of the DSS pending the perfection of their bail.