Human Rights Lawyers, under the aegis of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy (LIDD) have berated the Director General of Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, over the alleged assault on judiciary, lawyers, prison officials, and media by DSS operatives in a bid to stop prison officials from carrying out their job of taking the suspended CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, into custody as ordered by Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, yesterday.
The lawyers also condemned the rearrest of Emefiele by the operatives of the secret police after engaging in a free for all fight with officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).
Recall that Justice Nicholas Oweibo, of the Federal High Court in Lagos, had yesterday admitted Emefiele to bail in the sum of N20 million and one surety in like sum, shortly after he pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of alleged illegal possession of firearms on which he was arraigned before the court.
The judge, however, ordered that Emefiele be kept in custody of the Correctional Service pending the perfection of the bail. The order, however, appeared to have infuriated the DSS, with its personnel once again desecrating the court premises just to re-arrest Emefiele.
Reacting to what it called rogue and tasteless behaviour of the DSS operatives, the lawyers in a statement by thier leader, Barr. Okere Kingdom, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prove that he has regard for the rule of law by suspending and ordering the arrest of the DSS Director General, Yusuf Bichi.
The lawyers insisted that the DSS doesnt have the constitutional backing to rearrest Emefiele until he perfects his bail conditions.
The statement reads, This constant assault on the judiciary by the DSS is totally unacceptable. We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prove that he has regard for the rule of law by suspending and ordering the arrest of the DSS Director General, Yusuf Bichi, for violation of multiple judgments and orders of court on the release of suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, from the custody of the agency.
What played out at the court today is unacceptable, Bichi needs to be arrested and sent to prison. The secret police have made a habit of continuously disrespecting the rule of law. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should save democracy and image of the judiciary by immediately ordering the arrest of DSS DG.
In the same vein, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), has joined in the condemnation of the show of shame orchestrated by the DSS when it engaged officials of the Correctional Service in fisticuffs over the custody of the suspended CBN Governor.
Reacting, HURIWA described the incidence as an unmitigated image disaster for Nigeria, adding that President Bola Tinubu should do something urgently to restore professionalism and discipline in the two institutions.
The civil rights advocacy group, in a statement by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, noted that the open disrespect of the unambiguous order of the presiding judge that Emefiele be detained at the Lagos Correctional Centre pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions, shows that Nigeria is almost going down the drain and if not checked, could snowball into a Banana Republic.
It said, The Government must call the DSS particularly to order and there has to be some kind of sanctions administratively for this open show of shame except and unless the entire drama which has muddied the global public relations image of Nigeria was choreographed by the DSS and Prison warders on the express order of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
