Femi Falana, counsel to Omoyele Sowore, convener of RevolutionNow Movement, on Monday alleged that the Department of State Services, DSS, apologized to Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu over the invasion of her courtroom by its operatives.
Falana maintained that a DSS lawyer, Hassan Liman and an officer who led the team “profusely” apologized to the judge in her chambers, after which they were ordered to vacate the premises.
Recall that last Friday, DSS operatives reportedly chased out lawyers from an Abuja Federal High Courtroom, attacked journalists before re-arresting Sowore.
DSS, however, denied invading the courtroom before effecting Sowore’s re-arrest.
The spokesperson of DSS, Peter Afunanya, had insisted that the activist’s supporters had acted an “orchestrated drama” inside the court.
Afunanya had claimed that none of its officers was involved in the incidents recorded in the courtroom.
However, while speaking on a TVC news programme Femi Falana maintained that Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu had summoned the lead prosecution and defence counsel into her chambers, as well as the most senior officer of DSS, who thereafter apologised for the invasion.
“When the court proceedings had been disrupted, the trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu summoned the lead prosecution and defence counsel, I was already outside when I was informed.
“My colleague who was informed that my clients were about been arrested had left the court had to be called on the phone to come back and we met with the judge.
“She expressed her dismay over the development and over the illegal occupation of her courtroom. Their lawyer, Hassan Liman SAN apologized to the judge and claimed total ignorance of the unfortunate development. She summoned the most senior officer of DSS who came and I know his name but won’t mention it here.
“The judge challenged him, he wanted to deny their involvement in the court but the judge said I have my CCTV I would replay what happened in the court, then the officer apologized profusely for the armed invasion of her court.
“At this stage, the judge ordered him and the lawyer to remove their men from her court, it was at that stage the officers were withdrawn from the court because Sowore was still in the court and they wanted to take him away.
“Listen, you do not arrest anybody in the premises of the court because the business of the day must be concluded and the person would have to move out of the court premises, so to say we were not there then where were you?
“And if you were sure Sowore’s friends stage-managed the physical brutalization which didn’t you arrest them?”
