‘Our lawyers spent 4 hours waiting to receive Sowore’ — Falana tackles DSS

Femi Falana, senior of advocate of Nigeria (SAN),
says lawyers waited to receive Omoyele Sowore at
the headquarters of the Department of State
Services (DSS) after a court order to release him was served.

The DSS had on Friday said it received the order to
free the convener of the Revolution Now movement,
but there was no one to stand on his behalf.

But in a statement, Falana, lead counsel to Sowore,
said the DSS statement is misleading as the agency
already told the lawyers that Sowore would be
released.

“On 6/11/19 the bailiff of the federal high court
wanted to serve the reproduction warrants issued by
the court on the Director-General of the State
Security Service (SSS). But the SSS asked the Bailiff
to call back at 10.00 am on 7/11/19. The bailiff did
and was able to serve the reproduction warrants on
the DG of the SSS,”

he said.

“Upon acknowledging the service of the
reproduction warrants the SSS assured the bailiff
and five lawyers from the defence team that our
clients would be released yesterday. But the SSS
decided not to release our clients to our lawyers
who waited in vain in the agency’s headquarters for
not less than 4 hours.
“When Sowore said that he would not make a
statement without first consulting with me the SSS
management called me on phone on 6/8/19.
Assuming the SSS had wanted to release our clients
since yesterday the management would have
contacted me.
“It is pertinent to point out that the meaning of
reproduction warrant issued by a trial court is that
the defendants be produced for the purpose of
releasing them having met their bail conditions. In
the instant case, the
federal high court did not order the SSS to hand
over Messrs Sowore and Bakare to any person but
to produce them for the purpose of releasing them
having met the suffocating bail conditions imposed
on them by the trial court.
“Even though the SSS disobeyed the order of the
Honourable Justice Taiwo for the release of Mr.
Sowore on 24/9/19 it has turned round to announce
its readiness to comply with the order of the
Honourable Justice Ifeoma Ojukwu for the release
of Sowore and Bakare from illegal custody.”
He added that lawyers from his firm have been
directed to contact the DSS on Saturday for the
release of Sowore.

He also urged Sowore to call off his hunger strike.
Sowore has been in DSS detention since August
when he was arrested for planning a nationwide
protest.