Men from the Department of State Services (DSS) have raided an Ogun State High Court in Ilaro and arrested two defendants, disregarding the judge’s warning.
The court, presided over by Justice AA Shobayo on Tuesday, was handling a case marked HCP/IC/2023 between the State versus Awode Oladosu & 13 others.
The defendants, identified as Alhaji Isiaka Fatai and Samuel Oyero, were involved in a lawsuit resulting from a recent crisis in the Agosasa community, Ipokia Local Government Area of the state. This crisis stemmed from a dispute over chieftaincy, leading to extensive property damage and loss of life amounting to billions of naira.
During the ongoing hearing, DSS operatives arrived at the court premises and removed the suspects.
Confirming the incident to Daily Trust, Counsel to Alhaji Isiaka, Kehinde Bamiwola, alleged in a statement that the DSS operatives used force on the two individuals. He emphasized that “Alhaji Isiaka Fatai was subjected to physical violence, including beatings, slapping, manhandling, rough handling, and molestation.”
Supporting Bamiwola’s assertion, Omololu Olusanya, the Principal Registrar of the High Court and Sectional Head of High Court, Ilaro, acknowledged the incident. He characterized it as shocking and a blatant disregard for the rule of law.
He emphasized that despite the judge’s directive not to make any arrests within the court premises, the operatives proceeded to arrest the two individuals.
“They still went ahead and carried out the action to the extent of assaulting one of our staff members, Mrs. Fadina, during the process. It’s a distressing incident that caused considerable disturbance within the court premises.
“We learned from reliable sources that they were DSS agents. If anyone saw them, they would have appeared as armed robbers.
Olusanya further mentioned that their appearance did not resemble that of DSS agents, stating, “They were not dressed in any way that identified them as DSS, but they approached the judge this morning and indicated they had individuals to arrest. It was then that we realized they were DSS officers.
“They approached the judge before the court session commenced. The honorable judge advised them that if they intended to make an arrest, it must not be carried out within the court premises.
“They could conduct their activities outside, but they disregarded this advice and proceeded to make the arrest within the premises,” he explained.
However, when contacted, the spokesperson for the DSS, Peter Afunanya, did not respond to calls or messages sent as of the time of compiling this report.
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