Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja and Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The House of Representatives has mandated its committees on National Security and Intelligence and Judiciary and Human Rights to investigate last Friday’s the invasion of the Federal High Court, Abuja, by persons alleged to be officials of the Department of State Security (DSS).
The committees are expected to submit its report to the House within two weeks.
This followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by the minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu, calling the attention of the House to the incidence, yesterday.
But at the Senate, throughout the plenary, no issue concerning the court invasion was discussed.
Elumelu said the action of the people who were trying to bundle the convener of RevolutionNow, Omoleye Sowore, in the courtroom was tantamount to an arm of government attempting to overpower another.
Sowore is standing trial for alleged treason.
The minority leader noted that though civil society organisations claimed the invaders were agents of the DSS, the agency through its spokesman, Peter Afunanya, has denied its personnels were involved in the incident.
Said Elumelu: “The House notes with dismay the exhibition of thuggery, brute force, lawlessness, contempt and disregard for the rule of law by yet to be identified persons within the precinct of the Federal High Court, Abuja on December 6. Videos emerging in public domain shows these unidentified person trying to bundle Omoleye Sowore and his co-accused Olawale Bakare away from the courtroom with Sowore’s supporters resisting them, which is an abuse of the sanctity of the courtroom.
“Physically assaulting Mr. Omoleye Sowore and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, by the yet-to-be identified persons inside the courtroom is the highest act of sacrilege against the judicial arm of government and a complete disrespect to the rule of law. If this action is not properly put to check, the National Assembly may one day be invaded and the relevant security agencies will claim not knowing who the offenders are,” he said.
Elumelu said section 4, 5 and 6 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), guarantees separation of powers and the independence of every arm of government. He lamented that the actions of the unidentified persons made the presiding judge to abandon her duty post because of safety concerns.
Meanwhile, Human Rights, Liberty Access, and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE) has asked President Buhari to sack the Director General of DSS, Mr. Yusuf Bichi, for alleged misconduct and disregard of rule of law.
Chairman of HURIDE, Mr. Dede Uzor, in a statement, said the sacking became imperative following Bichi’s anti-democratic actions and disregard to the rule of law.
“In view of the glaring instances of human rights violations and other abuses by the DSS DG and his men, we call for his immediate removal. Since his inception as the DG, Bichi disposition and activities have shown that words like democracy and rule of law are not in his dictionary. He has continued to be a threat to democracy,” Uzor said.