The Centre for Rule of Law (CENTROLAW) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Yusuf Bichi, over the invasion of the Court to forcefully re-arrest Omoyele Sowore less than a day after releasing him following an order by the court for his release on bail.
The right group also described the move by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to take over the prosecution of Sowore from the DSS as an attempt to cover up and redirect attention from the action of the DSS.
The Sahara Reporters’ publisher was arrested on August 3 for leading the #RevolutionNow campaign, a series of nationwide protests he had planned with other activists to demand a better Nigeria.
However, he was violently arrested from a federal Courtroom by armed agents of the SSS, after being released the night preceding the December 6 court invasion after the SSS had disregarded several orders for his release by a federal judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu.
Read also: Manoeuvrings for a Buhari third term debase Nigerians. Envy the British!
In a statement to journalists in Lagos State on, Monday, a copy which was made available to BusinessDay, the right group wondered why the AGF would allow the DSS to investigate and also prosecute Sowore.
“We hereby call for the immediate dismissal, by Buhari, of the head of the DSS and all the officers who crudely obeyed and carried out the illegal order to re-arrest a citizen from the court premises while the court was sitting and after the citizen had been ordered by the court to be released on bail.
“Our attention has been drawn to the decision by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to take over of the prosecution of Omoyele Sowore from the Department of Security Services (DSS).
“We view the decision as aimed at attempt to cover up and redirect attention from the horrible folly of the DSS. The decision came hesitantly and weakly too late after the preventable harm has been done.
“It raised the reasonable question about why should the DSS prosecute the case it investigated?” it said.
The CSO said the dismissal of the DG of the DSS had become necessary based on the unwarranted invasion of Court by its officers, stressing that any action below that portends a weak administration.
The right group, further urged the AGF to resign from office, if President Buhari refuses to dismiss Bichi from his position.
“Our call for the immediate dismissal of the head of the DSS from his office and position for the unconstitutional breach of the judicial arm of government is the most reasonable action to take in tandem with the precedent already laid by the presidency in the case of the former head of the DSS who was justifiably dismissed from office for invading the legislative arm of government with impunity. Not to do this is to admit governmental weakness and failure.
“We expected the AGF, as the Chief Law Officer of the federal government, to have acted faster than he is now trying to do reluctantly. We urge him to also insist on the dismissal of the head of the DSS for the unpardonable breach of the sanctity of the hallowed court of the Judiciary.
“In case the President fails to dismiss the head of the DSS, we expect the AGF to resign from his office. We view this as the most decent and honourable action for him to take in the circumstance to distance himself from the horrible occurrence,” the organisation said.
