Malik Yahya/
Director General of the Directorate of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, today successfully parried questions on when RevolutionNow Movement convener, Omoyele Sowore, will be released from detention.
Sowore was rearrested by DSS operatives in a commando-like manner in the premises of the Federal High Court in Abuja on December 6, less than 24 hours after a court ordered his release from over four months illegal detention.
The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, chaired by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, consequently invited all key actors in the DSS court invasion to a special hearing today.
Those present at today’s hearing include, members Sowore’s legal team; Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho; and Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, whose courtroom was invaded by DSS to rearrest Sowore.
Others are the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Anthony Ojukwu; Solicitor General of the Federation, Adedayo Apata SAN; as well as Bichi.
A leading member of the Sowore legal team, who is also a past National President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Abdul Mahmud, said he spoke with Bichi and Apata after the hearing to know when Sowore would be released.
Mahmud shared details of his discussion with Bichi in a post on his Twitter handle, @AbdulMahmud01.
Mahmud wrote, “Spoke with Bichi and Apata, who both dodged my question: ‘when are you releasing Sowore?’. Persistent with my question, Bichi retorted as he entered his car, ‘tell Falana to call me’. ‘But, you don’t take his call’, I replied. ‘Is a lie’ (sic), he further replied and drove off.”
Mahmud, who led the Sowore’s legal team to the hearing, said he formally presented the team’s memorandum to the committee on behalf of Femi Falana SAN.
He added that the committee members promised to carry out their task without fear or favour.
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