Sowore being re-arrested

Barrister Femi Falana, lawyer to Omoyele Sowore, has confirmed that his client has been rearrested and detained by the Department of State Services.

Attempts to rearrest Sowore was resisted earlier at the Federal High Court Abuja on Friday morning.

DSS had set Sowore and his co-accused, Omowale Bakare free after keeping them in detention for over two months on Thursday evening following a court order.

The Federal Government is prosecuting Sowore and Bakare on charges of treasonable felony.

DSS steps in to arrest Sowore on after the trial was adjourned on Friday as Falana confirmed in an interview with Channels Television.

The lawyer added that he did not know why his client was arrested, though he hinted that fresh charges may be filed against him.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN however added that steps will be taken within the confines of the law to ensure the release of Sowore and Bakare.

Explaining what happened in the court this morning, Falana said, “The atmosphere was very rowdy, but I insisted that the arrest could not be carried out within the precinct of the court.

“He was going to be arrested outside the premises but there was a crowd that resisted the arrest, but I appealed to everybody and asked Sowore to jump into my car and so we drove to the office of the SSS because they said he will just answer a few questions, but now he is being detained.

“We are going to take steps under the law by asking for his release again since they are claiming this is a fresh arrest.

“Nobody has disclosed yet what his charges are; he couldn’t have committed any other offence because he has been detained for the past four months unless the SSS wants to tell the whole world that he committed this fresh offence while in their custody.”

“This morning, the SSS lawyers and the lawyers of the attorney-general reported to the court that the order of the court had been complied with and I confirmed because our clients were released last night.”

“As soon as the court adjourned the matter to February next year, the SSS operatives pounced on the court, disrupted proceeding and then attempted to arrest our clients even in the web of the court, that was extremely embarrassing because it has never happened in Nigeria where you enter a court to arrest anybody, even an alleged coup plotter.”