The 12 associates of Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, have instituted a rights enforcement suit against the Department of State Services (DSS) for parading them before the media as criminals.
They filed the suit on Wednesday before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court who presided as a vacation judge while the court is on recess.
In the suit, Igboho’s associates sought a declaration of the court that their detention beyond 48 hours and their media parade without a court conviction, constituted a breach of their fundamental rights.
They also sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the DSS from interfering with their personal liberty and freedom of expression.
Similarly, the applicants prayed for an order granting the sum of N100 million for aggravated and exemplary damages against the security outfit, for what they termed a serial breach of their constitutional rights.
But the DSS lawyer, Idowu Awo, told Justice Egwuatu during the proceedings that his case file was stolen from a member of the legal team who was meant to bring it to the court.
According to him, his colleague in question boarded a vehicle on Tuesday belonging to criminal elements, known as ‘one chance’, to whom she lost her personal belongings and the case file.
With the annual recess of the court ending soon, Justice Egwuatu ruled that the file of the fundamental rights suit be returned to the registry for reassignment to the regular court.
On July 1, Channels Television had reported that there was tension in the Soka area of Ibadan as a result of the early-morning firefight at Igboho’s house.
Hours after the incident, the DSS issued a statement in which it said it was a raid by a joint team of security operatives.
It alleged that Igboho and others had plotted to wage a violent insurrection against the Nigerian State, calling on the Yoruba Nation agitator to turn himself in, at the nearest security agency.
Igboho’s associates were later paraded and detained until eight of them were released by the DSS on August 30, after about two months in detention.
The security agency had, however, kept four others in custody, although the court granted bail to all 12 persons.
