A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to release Omoyele Sowore, the convener of the #RevolutionNow Protest and Olawale Bakare, his co-defendant within 24 hours.
Recall that Sowore and Bakare have been detained by the DSS since August 3, 2019, for alleged treasonable felony despite several court orders directing their release.
READ: Nigerian court grants activist, Sowore ₦100 million bail
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, who gave the order, also awarded an N100, 000 fine against the DSS for its delay to serve the defence counsel with the additional proof of evidence in the ongoing trial.
Justice Ojukwu ordered that the N100,000 fine be paid before the next hearing.
A visibly angry Ojukwu said that having signed the warrants for the release of the defendants from custody, and the warrants served on the defendants, the DSS had no reason to hold the defendants in its custody.
READ: Nigerian court orders release of opposition critic, Sowore
Justice Ojukwu also threatened to jail the Director of DSS if he fails to release the defendants.
The prosecuting counsel, Hassan Liman (SAN), insisted that the DSS had not obeyed the court order for their release, even though the DSS had no power to constitute itself into a parallel court.
The matter has been adjourned to Friday for the continuation of trial.
However, despite the court order to release the defendants within 24 hours, operatives of the DSS returned them to their custody at the end of the proceedings.
READ: Nigerian court approves 45-day extension of protest leader’s detention