The Department of State Security has been issued a fresh order to produce 12 aides of Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, a Yoruba activist, in court on August 2.
A Federal High Court in Abuja issued the fresh order on Thursday after the DSS failed an earlier order of the court to produce the 12 aides in court today (July 29).
The 12 aides were arrested on July 1 after the DSS raided the Ibadan home of the Yoruba activist and killed two of his aides and allegedly destroyed his properties.
Following the application of the aides, the court on July 23 ordered the secret police to make the detainees available on Thursday, July 29 for their bail consideration.
When the matter came up in court on Thursday as scheduled, the DSS, through its counsel, Mr Idowu Awo, prayed the court to give it another time to comply with the order.
He argued that he had filed a counter-affidavit to explain the dimensions and sophistication of the investigation being carried out on the detainees.
Awo went further to say that the DSS obtained an order of court permitting the detention of the applicants for 14 days to interrogate them.
Besides, the counsel submitted that some names on the Federal High court order were at variance with the list of those being detained adding that only 4 out 12 names corresponded with that of DSS.
But Justice Egwuatu was not happy with the explanation. He said that the order of his court was in English language and unambiguous that the detainees are produced in court.
According to him, the DSS ought to have obeyed the order to the letter after which the agency can subsequently offer explanations for their detention.
He said that the liberty of the Nigerian citizens is being threatened and that it is the duty of the court to protect it for citizens when called upon to do so as in the instant case.
The DSS counsel later apologised to the court and sought an adjournment to enable them to comply with the court order.
Consequently, Justice Obiora Egwuatu issued the fresh order to the agency to produce the 12 aides in court on Monday, August 2. He also ordered DSS to allow counsel to the detainees, Mr Pelumi Olajemgbesi access to them before the adjourned date.