‘It has never happened before’ — Falana speaks on Sowore’s rearrest in court

December 6, 2019 2:14 pm

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says the rearrest and assault of Omoyele Sowore in court is ”extremely embarrassing”.

He said it is the first time an arrest is being effected in a courtroom in the country.

The DSS rearrested Sowore and Olawale Bakare at the federal high court in Abuja, on Friday, less than 24 hours after they were released on the order of the court.

Before he was released, the activist had spent 124 days in detention.

DSS agents pulled their guns in a show of force causing confusion in the court, and rearrested Sowore.

Speaking with Channels TV, Falana, Sowore’s counsel, said the DSS has detained his clients on fresh charges which are yet to be disclosed.

The lawyer said steps will be taken within the confines of the law to ensure the release of Sowore and Bakare.

“The atmosphere was very rowdy, but I insisted that the arrest could not be carried out within the precinct of the court. He was going to be arrested outside the premises but there was a crowd that resisted the arrest, but I appealed to everybody and asked Sowore to jump into my car and so we drove to the office of the SSS because they said he will just answer a few questions, but now he is being detained,” he said.

“We are going to take steps under the law by asking for his release again since they are claiming this is a fresh arrest.

“Nobody has disclosed yet what his charges are; he couldn’t have committed any other offence because he has been detained for the past four months unless the SSS wants to tell the whole world that he committed this fresh offence while in their custody.”

“This morning, the SSS lawyers and the lawyers of the attorney-general reported to the court that the order of the court had been complied with and I confirmed because our clients were released last night.”

“As soon as the court adjourned the matter to February next year, the SSS operatives pounced on the court, disrupted proceeding and then attempted to arrest our clients even in the web of the court, that was extremely embarrassing because it has never happened in Nigeria where you enter a court to arrest anybody, even an alleged coup plotter.”