A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the release of a member of the Arms Procurement Committee, Air Commodore Mohammed Umar.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba in his ruling on a motion for the enforcement of the fundamental rights of Umar his illegal detention and ordered his release on bail.
In the motion marked FHC/ABJ/CR/145/2016 dated July 22, 2016, the court admitted the applicant to bail in the sum of N100m with a surety that has property in Abuja metropolis and evidence of tax payment for three years. The court granted the order after a motion was moved by his counsel, Usman Liman (SAN), praying the court to order his release since he had been in the custody of the Department of State Services longer than the period required in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
According to a statement by his counsel in Abuja, Umar was arrested by agents of the DSS after a raid on his house at No. 4 Lundi Close off Mississippi Street, Maitama on June 19, 2016. He added that the DSS later obtained a detention warrant which they used to justify his continued detention beyond the permitted 24 hours.
