Femi Falana, lead Counsel of embattled #RevolutionNow
convener Omoyele Sowore has alleged that the Nigerian government is plotting a
fresh charge against his client whose bail conditions was perfected last week.
Recall that the DSS
had previously claimed that they refused to release Omoyele Sowore because no
one came for him. However after lawyers, supporters and family members of the
activist showed up at DSS headquarters in Abuja on Saturday November 9, the media personality who is facing charges
of treason and insulting President Buhari was still not released.
Speaking at a
Channels TV programme on Monday November 11, Femi Falana said Sowore is yet to
be released because the Nigerian government wants to extend his detention.The
Senior Advocate of Nigeria also claimed that he was reliably informed that the
DSS is looking for new evidence to ensure they further detain the
#RevolutionNow convener.
“I was reliably informed last night by a security official
that the government was currently fishing for evidence,” he said.
“An attempt is being made to file a fresh charge on Tuesday
so that there will be an excuse that ‘we are arraigning them in court, hence we
are unable to release them’.
“If you recall, that was what was done when Justice Taiwo
Taiwo granted Sowore bail on September 24. For a whole week, the order of the
court was flouted. And then, of course, on September 30, he was arraigned
together with Olawale Bakare. We are ready for them.”
Sowore's lead counsel further stated that they will be
filing contempt charges against DSS Director-General Yusuf Bichi, following the
secret police's refusal to release the media personality even after perfecting
his bail conditions.
Falana also accused the Nigerian government of obeying only
foreign court orders but disobeying orders issued by courts in the country. He
backed his claim by pointing out that the FG hurriedly obeyed a British Court
order to pay the sum of £250,000 cost to a foreign firm, Process and Industrial
Development as condition to appeal a controversial $9.6bn judgment.
“The Federal Government has alleged that the controversial
judgment debt of $9.6bn was obtained fraudulently by P & ID. But the
commercial court in London recently ordered Nigeria to pay £250,000 within 14
days as a precondition for filing an appeal against the judgment.
“The said sum of £250,000 has since been paid to P & ID
in strict compliance with the orders of Her Majesty’s High Court in London.
“But since national security takes precedence over the rule
of law at home, the orders of the Federal High Court for the immediate release
of Messrs Sowore and Bakare have been brazenly disobeyed by the State Security
Service" he said.
0 Comments