Court Fixes Date For Sunday Igboho Aides’ Trial

The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed a date for the trial of Sunday Igboho’s aides.

The Editor Nigeria reports that a suit instituted by 12 detained associates of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho, against the Department of State Services (DSS) and its Director-General, Yusuf Bichi, will come up for hearing on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, (Sallah day) at the Federal High Court in Abuja, one of the counsels for the applicants, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has said.

Olajengbesi made this known in an interview on Sunday.

However, a source within the court confided in our correspondent that judges are avoiding the matter because of its sensitive nature.

The source said, “In fact, two judges initially declined to take up the suit when it was assigned to their courts before it was taken up by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court 9, Abuja.”

It would be recalled that at least a dozen of Igboho’s associates were arrested and detained by security operatives on July 1 2021 after the DSS’ bloody raid of Igboho’s residence in the Soka area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The DSS also said that it “gunned down” two of the activist’s associates during a “gun duel” which Sunday Igboho narrowly escaped.

Sunday Igboho was later declared wanted for allegedly stockpiling arms, an allegation he denied.

Olajengbesi had earlier stated that the secret police refused to grant him and the other lawyers on the case access to the 12 suspects detained by the DSS.

According to PUNCH, the detained persons, through their lawyers, subsequently sued the secret police and its Director-General.

In the joint suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on July 7, 2021, the applicants sought an order of the court “mandating and compelling the respondents to produce the applicants” to enable the court “inquire into the circumstances constituting grounds of their arrest and detention” since July 1, 2021.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/647/2021, the applicants also sought the order of the court mandating and compelling the respondents to produce the applicants before the court and “show cause as to why the applicants should not be granted bail in accordance with the provision of section 32 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and other extant laws in Nigeria.”

PDP Senator, Akeredolu, JUSUN, Lagos, Court Eluwole, Professor, Judicial

However, it could not be confirmed whether the respondents have been summoned to enter appearance within 30 days of service, but it was gathered that the court has fixed Tuesday for hearing of the matter.