Sowore: Court threatens to jail DSS director Bichi
- Court has threatened to imprison the director of DSS, Yusuf Bichi, over continued detention of Sowore
- Sowore, the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 general election, has been in the custody of DSS for more than 45 days
- The publisher of Sahara Reporters was granted bail on Wednesday, September 25, by the Abuja court
The director general of the Department of Secret Security Service (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, has been warned by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to release the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, or be ready for imprisonment.
Premium Times reports that the court gave the warning on Thursday, September 26, in response to the failure of the DSS to release Sowore.
Legit.ng gathered that the court’s warning was also based on an application by Femi Falana, the counsel to Sowore.
According to the online medium, a copy of the court order dated September 26, said that the DSS must release Sowore as directed by the court or it would be guilty of contempt and liable to be committed to prison.
“Take notice that unless you obey the order of the Federal High Court, Abuja division delivered on September 24, which ordered you to release the applicant, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison,” the document was quoted to have read.
It would be recalled that the Federal High Court had ordered the immediate release of Sowore from prison on Tuesday, September 24, after ruling that there was no longer a valid reason to continue detaining the respondent.
Sowore, who was arrested on August 3, for planning a protest with the hashtag #RevolutionNow, is facing trial on seven counts for alleged treasonable felony, fraud and cyberstalking.
The DSS also accused Sowore of disseminating an interview wherein he made utterances termed by the prosecution as “insulting, causing hatred and enmity” to the person of President Muhammadu Buhari.
It was reported that the charge sheet also included an allegation that Sowore and another defendant, Olawale Bakare, planned the protest to overthrow the incumbent government.
The DSS had obtained two separate orders for Sowore’s detention till September 21. At the expiration of those orders, the DSS informed the court of an application earlier seeking further detention of Sowore for 20 days.
It also notified the court that the recent application had been overtaken by events based on the provisions of the law, since the DSS had filed an information before the court suggesting that investigations had been concluded regarding allegations against Sowore.
Despite that declaration by the DSS lawyer, G. A. Agbadua, the prosecution still hinted the court of its desire to continue detaining Sowore.
Agbadua argued that the allegations against Sowore attracted capital punishment and that bails in such circumstances were highly restricted.
Falana, however, told the court that Agbadua was misleading the court with his claim that allegations against Sowore attracted capital punishment.
Sowore met all the bail conditions on Wednesday, September 25, as certified by the court, and the DSS was promptly notified.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that Falana vowed to remain at the facility of the DSS in Abuja till his client, Sowore, is released.
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Breaking: Sowore finally granted bail with stringent conditions | - on Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
