Several lawyers including Barrister Maxwell Opara have taken a swipe at the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Yusuf Magaji Bichi, over a recent tweet by the state service which described them as “charge and bail” following their recent protest against the continued detention of the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele
The phrase, “Charge and Bail” is generally used by Nigerians to describe unsuccessful lawyers who solicit for jobs from clients in a bid to breakthrough in the legal profession.
On Monday, July 17, Tijani Ahmed, Maxwell Opara, and Ezekiel Ugochukwu, alongside others, held a press conference at the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
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They condemned the detention of Mr Emefiele by the DSS, insisting that the state service failed to comply with different judgements of court which faulted the detention of the embattled apex bank governor.
THE WHISTLER earlier reported that Justices H. Muazu and Bello Kawu had in previous weeks, given the DSS seven and two days ultimatum to charge Emefiele or free him.
A day after Muazu’s judgment, the DSS charged Emefiele before the Federal High Court Lagos on two counts bordering on Illegal possession of firearms.
The embattled governor is apparently still in the DSS facility as of the time of this report.
Meanwhile, the DSS, in a tweet on Tuesday, criticized Opara while asking him to be properly educated on rule of law.
“Charge and bail, overzealous uninformed IPOB/ESN lawyer Maxwell Okpara mobilises other like minded lawyers against DGSS. Futile Efforts. Well, Nigerians, beware! This is in bad faith. Transferred aggression,” the DSS tweeted on part, drawing online reactions.
Undeterred, Opara and other lawyers regrouped at the Federal High Court Abuja on Wednesday and held another press briefing, maintaining that it was defamatory for the DSS to describe them as “charge and bail”.
Ahmed, who spoke first, said it was most reprehensible and condemnable that the official Twitter handle of an agency of the federal government like the DSS could tweet such words and phrases which profile an entire ethnic group as terrorists.
He urged the DSS DG not to forget that the seat he occupies is not his “father’s seat”, adding he may not be there tomorrow.
Ahmed said their protest was not just for Emefiele but for Nigerians who are in detention without charge, including the suspended chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
“Let me remind the DSS that the importance of lawyers in a democratic society can never be overemphasized. Let’s take our minds back. Where are the likes of Ibrahim Magu, Abba Kyari, these are people who have no regard for lawyers. Abdulrasheed Bawa.
“Who is representing them? They’re not market women. It is lawyers that are representing them,” he said.
Opara said Nigerians should hold the DSS DG responsible if anything happens to him or his family members and colleagues.
He said the DG is “the principal suspect” if anything happens to him.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately remove the DG DSS, saying he allegedly “lacks the legal, moral and physical capacity to hold such an important position.”
He maintained that he remains a lawyer to the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and he would sue him for defaming his character as a legal practitioner.