The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has ordered the Department of State Services DSS to hands-off the trial of Omoyele Sowore the convener of #RevolutionNow protest.
In a statement by the Special Assistant to the AGF on Media and Public Relations, Mallam Umar Gwandu, the order is to stage deliberate action to probe emerging concerns related to Omoyele Sowore’s case and for speedy
dispensation of justice.
Malami’s move follows reactions by the legislators judicial officers as well as civil society on the manner in which the DSS has handled the matter, particularly Sowore’s rearrest.
According to Gwandu, the request for the transfer of the case to the office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice is contained in a letter dated 11th December, 2019 and addressed to the Director General of the Department of State Services, National Headquarters Abuja.
The letter, signed by the Solicitor-General of the Federation Dayo Akpata reads in part: “The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice upon a further review of the case has directed the immediate takeover of the prosecution of all charges in respect of Omoyole Sowore by the Federal Ministry of Justice in line with the provisions of Sections 150(1) and 174 (1) (a-c) of the
1999 Constitution (as amended).”
The letter requested the Director of the DSS to “promptly forward all the case
files” in respect of Omoyele Sowore to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Recall that before the DSS stormed the court in a bid to rearrest Sowore, hours after releasing him, the agency had come under criticism for its delay in releasing him on bail despite a court order. The DSS initially denied invading the courtroom to arrest Sowore, but in a dramatic turnaround publicly apologised to Nigerians for the act.
(C) Control TV 2019.
