Falana knocks FG, DSS over illegal assault on Igboho’s residence

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falan has berated the Federal Government and the Department of State Services over last week’s assault on the residence of Sunday Adeyemo (Sunday Igboho) Ibadan which left two people dead.

Falana who disclosed this in an interview on Channels TV monitored by National Daily described the raid as illegal which contravened known conventions, warning that it would set a dangerous precedent if not checked and condemned.

According to the legal luminary, the invasion was conducted without any warrant, and was conducted in the dead of the night which left many questions to be answered.

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“There is no law in the country that allows you to invade a citizen’s home at night without a warrant unless a crime is committed in the night, you can’t go there under the cover of darkness. This is pure impunity. We must do things in a civilised way.

“Now, Igboho is saying he owns no guns, yet the DSS paraded an array of guns and ammunitions, claiming they were from his house. The controversy would not have been necessary, if DSS had done the right thing in the right way.

“For me, the person or persons killed in the invasion were murdered in cold blood, and those paraded in Abuja by the DSS as suspects were simply abducted under the law,” he added.

Also commenting on the resolution of the 17 Southern governors after their meeting in Lagos on Monday that security agencies must inform them before embarking on any operation in their territory, Falana said the governors are just waking up to their responsibilities.

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“Our governors are beginning to appreciate that they are the chief security of their various states. By the way, every State of the federation has a Security Council headed by the governor.

“According to the constitution of the country, governors are the chief security officers of their various states, so they must be brief on all security operations in their states. The Sunday Igboho issue was an embarrassment to the governor. He had no knowledge of the invasion, and nothing to tell his people when it became public knowledge. This is not fair.

“Recall that when the then Governor of Anambra state was kidnapped with the connivance of the Chief Police Officer, the Supreme Court in his ruling said the Commissioner of Police in States is under the control of the governor, and must take directives from the governor, and not from Abuja.

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Falana urged the governors to exercise their constitutional powers, and not allow it to be trampled upon.