Court Fines DSS N100,000, Orders Sowore’s Release Within 24Hrs

A fine of 100,000 has been awarded against the Department of State Services (DSS) by the Federal High Court in Abuja for disobeying an order of the court to release the Convener of the #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare.

Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu awarded the fine against the DSS on Thursday at the scheduled commencement of the defendants’ trial on charges of treasonable felony.

She ordered that the cost must be paid before the next hearing which is Friday.

According to her, the DSS cannot constitute itself as parallel court of law, adding she signed the warrants for the release of the duo from custody, and same was served on the defendants.

She noted that the DSS had no justifiable reason to continue to hold them in custody.

The prosecuting counsel, Hassan Liman (SAN), had insisted that the DSS had not obeyed the court order for their release, the DSS had no power to constitute itself into a parallel court.

The judge adjourned the matter till Friday.

She blamed the adjournment of trial on the prosecution which she said failed to comply with her order of November 6 directing them to serve some documents on the defence team led by Femi Falana (SAN).

Sowore, who has been in the custody of the DSS, was arrested on August 3, 2019 by operatives of the service. He was granted bail by a federal high court, Abuja. He has been in custody of the service despite meeting his bail conditions.