The Federal High Court in Abuja has gave the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi, and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, up till twenty third of this month to appear before it.
Justice Inyang Ekwo want the duo to come and explain why the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, was still being detained despite being granted bail.
Ruling on an ex parte application filed on behalf of Sowore by his lawyer, Mr Marshal Abubakar, the court said DSS and AGF should appear to state their own sides of the story.
Justice Ekwo directed the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court to serve hearing notices on the two defendants.
Abubakar had in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/407/2019, urged the court to order the DSS boss and the AGF to produce Sowore in court “for an unconditional release” from custody based on the order for his release made by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu on November 6, 2019.
In an affidavit filed in support of the suit, the deponent, Abubakar, who moved the motion said all efforts to make the DSS to comply with the court’s order were futile as the agency refused to release them.
The DSS and the AGF had charged Sowore and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, on charges of treasonable felony, before Justice Ojukwu.
Sowore was re-arrested violently by the operatives of the DSS at the Federal High Court in Abuja on December 6, barely 24 hours of being released from custody that lasted over four months.
Sowore’s lead counsel, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), had earlier in a statement, urged the AGF to direct the agency to immediately release the SaharaReporters publisher from “illegal” detention.
