TheNewsGuru

Tag: dss

  • BREAKING: DSS invade Abuja court to rearrest Sowore, Bakare

    The State Security Service (SSS) has invaded the Federal High Court in a controversial bid to rearrest the Omoyele Sowore.

    The SSS officers stormed the Abuja Division of the court on Friday morning, with attempts being made to break into the facility.

    Already aware of the development, Mr Sowore is held in the court with his lawyers and associates. They had appeared in court for a fundamental rights enforcement hearing in the ongoing trial of Mr Sowore and SSS disregard of court orders.

    Friday morning’s attempt to take Mr Sowore into custody came a day after the Sahara Reporters’ publisher was released from detention after spending 124 days.

    Mr Sowore was released after Ijeoma Ojukwu, the federal judge handling his treasonable felony trial, insisted that her November 6 order must be complied with and Mr Sowore must be released from custody or senior officials of the SSS would be held in criminal contempt.

    It was not immediately learnt why the SSS deployed its operatives to the court to arrest Mr Sowore again Friday morning.

  • BREAKING: DSS Releases Sowore After 124 Days In Detention [PHOTO]

    Human Rights Activist and pro-democracy campaigner, Omoyele Sowore has regained freedom more than three months after he was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS).

    Sowore was arrested and charged to court by the Nigerian government for planning a nationwide tagged #RevolutionNow.

    He was released on Thursday evening after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered his release for the third time.

    Sowore is expected to appear in court on Friday for the commencement of the trial.

    More to come…

  • BREAKING: Court orders DSS to transfer El-Zakzaky, wife to Correctional Centre

    A Kaduna State High Court has ordered that the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife be transferred from the custody of the Department of State Service, DSS, to a Correctional Centre in the state.

    The trial judge, Justice Gideon Kudafa in his ruling on Thursday said the decision was taken to enable their lawyers and doctors to have easy access to them.

    He, therefore, adjourned the case to February the 6th for the commencement of trial.

    The IMN leader is facing trial over allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, and disruption of the public peace, among other charges.

    The trial judge, Justice Gideon Kudafa had on March the 26th adjourned the case indefinitely following his appointment as a member of the Election Petition Tribunal in Yobe State.

    El-Zakzaky and his wife were not in court during the last proceedings, although their counsel, Femi Falana, claimed that their absence was due to their deteriorated health conditions.

    He and his wife (Zeenat) were denied bail by the presiding judge during the last sitting on January 22, 2018.

    In the application for bail filed by El Zakzaky’s lawyer, Femi Falana, on his behalf at the last sitting, the legal practitioner prayed the court to give a mandatory order for his client and his wife to be flown abroad.

    Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, informed the court that this was to enable them to receive proper medical attention since the Federal Government has glaringly failed to cure them of the injuries they sustained during the alleged army’s onslaught on their residence in December 2015.

    The judge in his ruling, however, ordered that El Zakzaky should be allowed by the government to bring doctors of his choice to examine him in the presence of doctors from the government before the date of the next sitting.

    With the absence of the trial judge, Counsel to the IMN leader, Mr. Falana, filed a fresh application at another court of equal jurisdiction on July the 18th asking it to grant his clients leave to seek medical attention abroad and thereafter return for the continuation of their trial.

    Consequently, on August the 5th, the presiding judge, Justice Darius Khobo ordered that the IMN leader and his wife be accompanied abroad by officials of the Kaduna State government.

    The presiding judge ruled that El-Zakzaky and his wife should proceed to India for medical treatment, after which they will return to Nigeria to face their trial.

  • FG’s request for our transfer to prison unknown to law —Sowore, Bakare

    FG’s request for our transfer to prison unknown to law —Sowore, Bakare

    Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, and his co-detainee, Adebayo Bakare, on Tuesday, described the Federal Government’s application for their transfer from the custody of the Department of State Service to prison as frivolous and unknown to law.

    They said the fresh application filed by the government before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja was meant to frustrate the court’s order for their release from DSS custody.

    They also described the application filed on behalf of the Federal Government by the prosecuting counsel, Hassan Liman (SAN), as contemptuous for being a contravention of the order directing the DSS to release them from custody.

    This is contained in their notice of preliminary objection filed before the court to challenge the Federal Government’s fresh application.

    Sowore and Bakare are being prosecuted before the court by the Federal Government on charges of treasonable felony instituted against them in the wake of their call for #RevolutionNow protests across the country to demand better governance.

    The DSS continues to hold them in custody since August when they were arrested, despite separate court orders directing their release from custody.

    The latest of the court orders was the one issued by Justice Ojukwu on meeting the bail conditions imposed on them after their arraignment.

    They argued, through their legal team led by Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), that the application for their transfer from the DSS custody to prison, showed that there was no genuine interest to prosecute them.

    Grounds of the application read, “The application was filed by the Complainant/Applicant to frustrate the execution of the order of release of the 1st and 2nd defendants/objectors from the custody of the State Security Service made by this Honourable Court on November 6, 2019.

    “There is no genuine intention to prosecute the 1st and 2nd defendants by the complainant/applicant as the statement of witnesses this Honourable Court ordered to be availed the defence team is yet to be issued and served.

    “The grounds upon which the complainant’s/applicant’s application is hinged are frivolous, vexatious, contemptuous, manifestly unarguable and unknown to law.”

  • Journalist drags DSS to court over alleged Illegal detention

    Mr Chido Onumah, a journalist and rights activist, on Wednesday, sued the Department of State Security Services (DSS), over alleged illegal detention.

    In a suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/1270/2019 filed by his Lawyer, Moses Ideh, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, Onumah sought the enforcement of his fundamental human rights to dignity of his person, right to personal liberty, freedom of expression and right to own personal property brought pursuant to Section 34, 35, 39, 41 and 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while Onumah is the applicant, Mr Bichi is the 1st respondent and the DSS as an agency is the 2nd respondent in the case.

    NAN reports that that Onumah was said to have been arrested recently by the DSS operatives at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, and detailed for several hours for wearing a T-shirt with the inscription: “We Are All Biafrans.”

  • [Video] Sowore to DSS: Don’t lose your mind supporting ‘Tyrant’ Buhari

    [Video] Sowore to DSS: Don’t lose your mind supporting ‘Tyrant’ Buhari

    – Like it happened under IBB, Abacha, Yar’Adua your support for Buhari will fail

    Convener of #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore during his arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday lambasted officials of the Department of State Services (DSS).

    Sowore told the DSS operatives in the court premise that they shouldn’t lose their mind while supporting ‘Tyrant’ Buhari

    Video [Source: Sahara Reporters]:


    His words:

    “To have freedom and liberty in our lifetime, it is the future of the country we are fighting for. We can’t continue like this. This country is not working for anybody, except for some of them in Aso Rock.You helped to support Babangida, he lost power, you supported Abacha he died… and now you are supporting another tyrant; at the end of the day, all of us will go to the same market, our children go to the same school, for the mere fact you have some opportunity now doesn’t mean you should lose your mind.”

  • Alleged N2bn pension fraud: EFCC, DSS arrest Maina in Abuja

    Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force, Abdul-Rashid Maina.

    According to insider sources, Maina, who was embroiled in N2.1 billion pension scam was arrested through a joint effort by the EFCC and DSS.

    According to the source, Maina was arrested in a hotel in Abuja as he attempted escaping by shooting at the DSS operatives detailed to arrest him.

    The source said, “He hid himself in a bulletproof car for several hours before he was forced out by the operatives.

    “On the request of the EFCC, the DSS has been monitoring his movement for days before now.”

    It was gathered that one Zainab Buratai, a woman who claimed to be a businesswoman and philanthropist in Abuja, by her Twitter handle but no established direct connection with the Chief of Army Staff, said Maina had been using his influence in the police force, to terrorize his extended family.

    Maina had ordered one of her nephews, Sadiq to be arrested.

    Sadiq was beaten to a coma on the allegation of stealing $1.7 million belonging to Maina.

    Whereas Maina’s biological son admitted stealing the father’s money and Maina’s son Laila confirmed taking possession of the unspent stolen funds from the son.

    Maina’s younger brother, Khalid, was also arrested and detained by officers of the inspector-general’s special team under Abba Kyari.

    It took the intervention of senior police officers to secure the release of Khalid last weekend.

    Operatives of the anti-graft agency have arrested several agents, couriers, informant and subordinates of Maina in the last two months and several properties hidden under several “proxies and concubines” seized from the fugitive.

    As of the time of filing this report, the DSS was still profiling Maina and possibly would hand him over to the EFCC later today (Tuesday) or sometime soon.

    His possession of a firearm, among others, is to be investigated by the DSS

    Maina is being aided by top government officials led by Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to evade trial and prosecution following his embezzlement of N2.1 billion pension fund.

    Maina in January 2019, secured a court order stopping the EFCC from declaring him wanted.

    A federal high court judge, Justice Giwa Ogunbanjo described the action of the anti-graft agency in declaring Maina wanted as “unlawful”.

    A non-governmental organisation, Centre for Law and Civil Culture, had approached a federal high court in Lagos to compel the AGF to account for the assets recovered from Maina.

    The suit marked FHC/L/CS/756/2019 has the EFCC as the second respondent.

    The group is seeking a mandamus order to compel the AGF and the EFCC to provide it with information on the 270 landed properties, exotic cars, money and other valuables allegedly recovered from Maina.

    The group said its suit followed the alleged refusal of the EFCC to oblige its request for information via a December 28, 2018 letter.

  • Sowore docked, pleaded not guilty to treason charge

    Sowore docked, pleaded not guilty to treason charge

    The Department of State Services, DSS, has docked the convener of the #RevolutionNow Protest, Omoyele Sowore on a seven-count charge of treason, money laundering and cyberstalking President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Sowore was brought to court in Abuja today alongside another defendant, Olawole Bakare, also known as Mandate.

    However, Sowore pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge the Federal Government preferred against him.

    The activist was arraigned with Olawale Bakare, on Monday, as they pleaded not guilty to the seven counts of treasonable felony and other sundry offences instituted against them by the Federal Government.

    They were arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojuwku of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

    Justice Ojukwu had earlier dismissed the objection of the defendants’ lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), to the scheduled arraignment.

    Olumide-Fusika stated that the arraignment should not be allowed to go on on the grounds that the DSS, which has been keeping him in custody since August 3, 2019, had not allowed the defendants to consult with their lawyer after the charges were filed.

    According to him, the court should protect its integrity by refusing to allow the arraignment to proceed when the prosecution continued to disobey the court order made on September 24, 2019 for the release.

    The prosecution led by Hassan Liman (SAN) asked the court to dismiss the objection, saying that what was more important was that the defendants had been served with the charges.

  • DSS clears air on death of two personnel along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway

    The Department of State Service (DSS) on Friday September 27, 2019 lost two of its personnel in a fatal car crash.

    A statement by the Public Relations Officer,Department of State Services, National Headquarters, Abuja, Dr Peter Afunaya, indicated that the incident occurred in the evening at Gidan Busa Katari, along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.

    “The team was heading to one of the States in the North-West zone for an operation when the Hilux vehicle in which they were travelling somersaulted. Two (2) persons died in the accident while another was injured. He is presently receiving required attention in a medical facility.

    “This clarification has become necessary in order to debunk fake news making the round that the gallant officers were attacked by bandits. The public is enjoined to disregard any contrary information,” the statement read.

  • Days after meeting bail conditions, DSS refuses to free Sowore

    Days after meeting bail conditions, DSS refuses to free Sowore

    The Department of State Services is still holding on to Omoyele Sowore, despite meeting the bail conditions as spelt out by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Sowore’s lawyer, Femi Falana, a leading human rights lawyer and senior advocate told newsmen that he was at a loss as to why the detainee has not been released.
    No reason has been given by the agency for its failure to comply with the court order delivered on Tuesday, September 24, 2019, he said.

    Justice Taiwo Taiwo ordered the release of Mr Sowore, who is also the publisher of Sahara Reporters, after the expiration of the 45-day detention that his court-sanctioned in August.

    Sowore was arrested in Lagos, a few days to his inspired protests for #revolutionnow across Nigeria.

    On the eve of the expiration of the detention order, the DSS brought a new charge, accusing him of not just treasonable felony, but also money laundering and cyberstalking President Buhari.

    Femi Falana (SAN), leading Sowore’s legal team said the order issued by the court on August 8, 2019, permitting the DSS to hold the activist for 45 days, expired on September 21, while appealing to the court to issue a consequential order releasing his client.

    DSS’ lawyer, G.O Agbadua, said that since new charges were filed against the activist on September 20, it was lawful to continue to keep him until arraignment.

    But Falana said, “Filing of charges cannot metamorphose into a detention order. A citizen cannot detain a citizen in anticipation of the arraignment.”

    Agbadua had earlier withdrawn the DSS’ application asking for the extension of the period of the detention of Sowore for further 20 days.

    Agbadua’s request for the withdrawal of the said application was based on the fact that charges had been filed against the activist.

    Falana also withdrew Sowore’s application for bail on the grounds that the application had become academic since the order of detention had expired.