Sowore’s lawyer Femi Falana speaks on how DSS officers disguised in court

LAGOS, Nigeria – Mr. Femi Falana, lawyer to the Convener, #revolutionnow, Mr. Omoyele Sowore has exposed officers of the Department of State Service who had denied reports that their men pinned down and brutalised Sowore before his arrest in Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu’s court.

In a statement obtained by www.starconnectmedia.com, Falana said operatives of the SSS(DSS) masked themselves, while other disguised in black and white lawyers suit”, he said, arguing that regardless of the form of appearance, the officers of the service inside court no 7 were identifiable by their role and act of seizing Sowore and pining him down.

Falana said it is an utter poor reasoning to say that Sowore’s supporters were those bent on injuring him in order to arrest him. “The argument of the service in this respect is as unfortunate and pitiable as the earlier argument of the service in respect of the late Gani Fawehinmi who was once accused of wanting to set ablaze his own house”, Falana argued.

According to him, if Sowore’s supporters subjected him to such brutalisation in the presence of the SSS operatives, “why were they not arrested for contravening the provision of the Anti-torture Act 2017 or were the SSS expecting supporters of a defendant wanted by the state o kill him in their presence?”, Falana queried.

He argued that before submitting himself for arrest and detention, Sowore rightly requested for warrant of arrest and detention but the SSS were unable to produce either.

On the re-arrest of Sowore, Falan said that when the Lead Prosecutor, Dr. Liman Hassan, denied knowledge of the invasion of her court, she directed him to invite the head of SSS team in the court.

“When challenged to justify the invasion of the court, the SSS could not say anything. He appologised to Ojukwu on behalf of the SSS. The judge then directed the officer to withdraw the SSS from the courtroom. The directive was complied with as the operatives withdrew from the courtroom and went out to join their colleagues who have taken over the entire court house”, Femi Falana said.

He said that the SSS then directed him to accompany Sowore to the SSS headquarters, in view of his physical brutalisation inside the court room and the open threat to his life.

“I did and ensured that he was driven in my car to the SSS headquarters where I handed him over to the officers on duty. Thereafter, I requested for a meeting with the head of the SSS but I was informed that he was not in the office”, Sowore’s lawyer, Femi Falana said.