The 12 detained associates of embattled Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, have gotten sureties as part of conditions to perfect their bail.
Pelumi Olajengbesi, the lawyer to the detainees, confirmed the development in an interview on Friday.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, the presiding judge at the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on 4 August granted bail to all the detained aides of Igboho following their institution of a suit before the court.
The detained aides who have been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) for about 50 days are Abdullateef Onaolapo, Tajudeen Irinloye, Dikeola Ademola, Ayobami Donald, Uthman Adelabu, Olakunle Oluwapelumi.
Others are Raji Kazeem, and Taiwo Tajudeen; while the four aides are Amudat Babatunde, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Oyetunji, and Bamidele Sunday.
According to Olajengbesi, each of the 12 detainees had finally got two persons to stand as their sureties as demanded by the court.
“We have the 24 sureties already as required by the court, but the challenge is the bail office insisted that it needs to write letters to all the offices of the sureties to confirm the sureties,” the lawyer told the Punch.
He called on the court to immediately commence the verification of the sureties and not delay the process so that his clients can regain and enjoy their temporary freedom.
DSS operatives had on July 1 raided Igboho’s residence in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and arrested 12 of his supporters after they failed to capture the Yoruba Nation agitator.
The arrested persons were subsequently moved to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where they have been in detention.
In a joint suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/647/2021, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on July 7, 2021, the detained persons through their counsel, Olajengbesi, sought an order of the court “mandating and compelling the respondents to produce the applicants” to enable the court “inquire into the circumstances constituting grounds of their arrest and detention” since July 1, 2021.
They also prayed for an order of the court mandating and compelling the respondents to produce the applicants before the court and “show cause as to why the applicants should not be granted bail in accordance with the provision of section 32 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and other extant laws in Nigeria”.
However, the DSS, through its lawyer, Idowu Awo, opposed the bail of four applicants – Babatunde, Shittu, Oyetunji, and Sunday – saying that they should not be granted bail in the interest of justice and national security.
He also stated that their investigation was currently ongoing and has not been concluded.
Justice Egwuatu in his ruling, however, held that no charge has been preferred against the applicants and that they have been in detention since they were arrested.
He said the applicants have a right to liberty and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
The DSS subsequently filed an application before the court on 9 August, asking for the revocation of bail for the aforementioned four Igboho’s aides.
