IBADAN – An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has restrained the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), from arresting, intimidating, harassing and freezing the bank accounts of Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
The restraining order was granted by Justice Ladiran Akintola following an ex parte motion moved by Igboho’s lawyer, Chief Yomi Alliyu (SAN), at the court on Wednesday.
The motion developed from the originating summons seeking N500 billion damages for the invasion of Igboho’s residence in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on July 1.
According to Justice Akintola, “I hereby grant an order of injunction restraining the respondents, their agents, privies, and/or associates in other security forces and/or anybody acting on their behalf and/or instructions from killing, arresting, detaining, molesting, harassing, and/or in a way interfere with the applicant’s fundamental rights to life, personal liberty, freedom of movement and peaceful enjoyment of his property without fear of invasion of his house by the respondents and their agents pending the hearing of the applicant’s originating motion.
“Also an order restraining the respondents, their agents, privies and/or associates in other security forces and/or anybody acting on their behalf and/or instructions from blocking the accounts of the applicant in any bank and/or placing no debit thereon and directing them to lift same where they had so acted pending the hearing of the applicant’s originating summon.”
Sunday Igboho’s lawyer, Alliyu, expressed confidence that the AGF will not disobey the court order, stressing that it was given directly against his office.
It would be recalled that on July 1, DSS invaded Sunday Igboho’s house in Ibadan, killing two of his people, arrested 12 that are currently in DSS custody in Abuja while many valuable properties were destroyed.
Sunday Igboho is also currently undergoing trial at Benin Republic’s court.
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to 12 supporters of Sunday Igboho who were arrested in Oyo State.
Operatives of DSS had on July 1 raided Igboho’s residence in Oyo and arrested 12 of his supporters.
The arrested persons were subsequently moved to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where they have been in detention.
The suspects through their lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, filed an application asking the court to “inquire into the circumstances constituting grounds of their arrest and detention since July 2, 2021, and where it deems fit admit applicants on bail”.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Olajengbesi, counsel to the applicants, asked the court to admit his clients to bail.
“There is no need to continue to keep them with the respondents,” he said.
Commenting on the bail application, David Awo, DSS counsel, had said he was not opposed to bail for the 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th applicants.
He told the court that the remaining four applicants (2nd, 12th, 5th, and 6th) were still being investigated.
Ruling on the bail application, Obiora Egwatu, the presiding judge, said it is clear that no charge has been preferred against the applicants and that they have been in detention since they were arrested.
He said the applicants have a right to liberty and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
He admitted the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10 and 11th applicants to bail in the sum of N5 million and two sureties each.
