Lawyers in Defence of Democracy (LIDD), a group of human rights lawyers, have strongly criticized the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, for the alleged assault on judiciary officials, lawyers, prison officials, and media during an incident at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The incident occurred when DSS operatives clashed with officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) over the custody of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, who had been granted bail by Justice Nicholas Oweibo. The DSS operatives attempted to take custody of Emefiele, leading to a melee within the court premises.
The lawyers condemned the actions of the DSS operatives and expressed their disapproval of the rearrest of Emefiele by the secret police after the altercation with prison officials. They asserted that the DSS does not have the constitutional authority to re-arrest Emefiele until he fulfills his bail conditions.
In their statement, the lawyers called on President Bola Tinubu to demonstrate respect for the rule of law by suspending and ordering the arrest of the DSS Director-General, Yusuf Bichi, for violating multiple court judgments and orders concerning the release of Emefiele.
The group further emphasized that the continuous assault on the judiciary by the DSS is unacceptable, and they urged President Tinubu to take immediate action to protect democracy and uphold the image of the judiciary by holding the DSS accountable for its actions.
Overall, the incident has drawn sharp criticism from human rights lawyers, who are demanding accountability and adherence to the rule of law from the DSS and its leadership.
