Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has revealed that the Department of State Services (DSS) turned down his request to drive out detained convener of RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, from the headquarters of the agency in Abuja.
Falana was reacting a claim by the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, that the service was yet to release Sowore because he could be knocked down by a vehicle if left to go on his own.
He advised the agency to stop misleading and giving false information to members of the public, and to restrain Afunanya from further exposing the country to avoidable ridicule in his desperate bid to justify the illegal detention of Sowore. Falana said:
“Before leaving the headquarters of the SSS, I advised the management to restrain Dr Peter Afunanya from further exposing the country to avoidable ridicule in his desperate bid to justify the illegal detention of our clients.
“In view of the claim of the SSS that Mr Sowore could be knocked down by a moving vehicle if left alone, I offered to drive him out of the headquarters of the agency but my request was turned down.”
The DSS has continued to hold on to Sowore despite two court orders directing it to release him after meeting bail conditions on both occasions.
Sowore was arrested at about 11 pm on August 2 by DSS operatives and has since been in detention alongside Bakare.
The Federal Government had, in September, filed a seven-count charge against Sowore that included treasonable felony, insulting the president, and money laundering.