Omoyele Sowore’s lead counsel, Femi Falana, has disclosed that the federal government offered his client death warrant deal during his first 45 days in the custody of Department of State Service (DSS).
Falana explained that the DSS wanted him to persuade Sowore to sign the death warrant deal but he refused. He said: “They went to a court behind us and got an order to detain Sowore for 45 days to investigate his alleged terrorism.
“At the end of the investigation, nothing was found but they went to him in detention to reach a deal. When they could not succeed, they met me and they wanted me to persuade him to agree to sign his death warrant and I told them off.”
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He further disclosed that charges filed against Sowore came after the DSS failed in getting him to sign the deal with them.
Earlier, The Herald reported that Falana asked the NBA to take disciplinary actions against lawyers in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet over what he described as desecration of the court with his client’s rearrest at the court, causing a disruption of court proceedings.
He disclosed that the SANs in the President Buhari’s cabinet are Vice President Yemi Osinbajon (SAN), Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Minister of State for Labour, Mr Festus Keyamo; and Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola.
According to him, “Even though President Muhammadu Buhari has a duty to caution the Department of State Services, the blame of the desecration of the court today (Friday) rests squarely on lawyers in government, who are under a duty to ensure that the rule of law is observed.
“Even though President Muhammadu Buhari has a duty to caution the Department of State Services, the blame of the desecration of the court today (Friday) rests squarely on lawyers in government, who are under a duty to ensure that the rule of law is observed. They have all taken the oath to respect the Constitution and other laws of the country.
“That Constitution guarantees the independence and impartiality of the courts. They therefore cannot sit in a cabinet under a regime that terrorises the courts and subverts the rule of law. It is a matter the Nigerian Bar Association should take up against the lawyers in the cabinet by instituting disciplinary proceedings against them.”