Pelumi Olajengbesi, Counsel for the 12 detained associates of Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, has prayed a Federal High Court, Abuja to admit his clients to bail unconditionally.
Olajengbesi made the plea following the production of the 12 detainees before Justice Obiora Egwuatu on Wednesday.
The applicants, who had been in the detention of the Department of State Service (DSS) since July 2, had approached the court through their lawyer to seek for their fundamental rights enforcement.
Olajengbesi told the court that contrary to the Section 35(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which stipulated that a suspect be charged to court within 24 hours, the DSS had kept the applicants for about 34 days in detention.
However, Counsel to the Nigeria’s secret police, I. Awo, though opposed the application for bail for four of the applicants in custody, did not oppose the application for bail for eight others.
He argued that this was due to the level of their involvement in the offence preferred against them.
While the service did not oppose bail for 1st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th applicants, the security outfit strongly objected to granting bail to 2nd, 12th, 6th and 5th applicants.
Justice Egwuatu then stood down the matter for ruling.
The court last Thursday, issued a fresh order on the Director-General of the DSS to produce before it 12 detained aides of the alleged Yoruba secessionist leader, Sunday Igboho. The fresh order followed the refusal of the security agency to make them available for bail consideration as ordered by the court on July 23, 2021.
They are Abdulateef Ofeyagbe, Amoda Babatunde, Tajudeen Erinoyen, Diakola Ademola, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Noah, and Ayobami Donald.
Others are Adelabe Usman, Oluwapelimi Kunle, Raji Kazeem, Taiwo Opeyemi and Bamidele Sunday, while the two respondents in the matter are DG, DSS and the DSS. (NAN)