I didn’t ask DSS to invade Igboho’s residence – Malami

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, has denied authorising the invasion of the Ibadan residence of the Yoruba self-acclaimed activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Sunday Igboho, by the men of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The invasion of the Ibadan home of Igboho by the security agency had led to the death of two people.

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Igboho had on August 4 approached the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, seeking an order of the court restraining the DSS and the AGF from arresting, intimidating, harassing and freezing his bank accounts.

He wants the same order for his aides and guests who were arrested and taken to Abuja by the men of the DSS, thus asking the court to declare the invasion of his residence on July 1 as illegal and infringement on his fundamental human right.

But the AGF, in an affidavit deposed on August 18, 2021 by one Thomas Etah, who is a civil servant of the Federal Ministry of Justice headquarters, and as a litigation officer, argued, “I have the consent and authority of the first respondent (Malami) and that of Maimuna Lami Shiru (Mrs), Simon Enock, Abdullahi Abubakar and Elodimuo Ekene, the counsel in chambers assigned to conduct the defence on behalf of the first respondent (Malami) to depose to this counter-affidavit.

“That the facts deposed to herein are from my own personal knowledge and as well as facts from information supplied to me in the course of preparing the case, that the first respondent denies paragraph 8(28), (29), (30) of the affidavit of Samuel Ojebode and states that contrary to the insinuation of the applicant to the effect, the first respondent, who is not a security officer as has been severally stated above, he did not participate in the commission of the acts being complained of or came back to Abuja and assumed the role of a judge or conducted any media trial,” Etah deposed.

But while the hearing was adjourned till August 30, Justice Akintola maintained that an order restraining the AGF, DSS or any other security agency from arresting or harassing Igboho still subsists till the next adjournment when the substantive case would be determined.