A civil rights group, the Voters Rights International, has written to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila highlighting “the recent lawlessness of 15 operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), who primitively invaded the sacred sanctuary of the courtroom of the presiding judge, Hon. Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, December 6, 2019, to unlawfully re-arrest Omoyele Sowore who is facing criminal charges over Revolution Now Protests.

The letter dated and signed by the President of the Rights group, Barrister Jezie Ekejiuba, said: “The violent re-arrest of Sowore who is on court-ordered bail within the premises of a court of law is not only an affront to the rule of law but also a brazen challenge to the constitutional powers granted to the judiciary under the amended Constitution of Nigeria 1999.

“As the representatives of the Nigerian people, it is the duty of the NASS to speak up against this tyranny and dictatorship and take sides with the Nigerian people.

“By the provision of Section 88(1)(b)(i)(2)(a) of the amended Constitution of Nigeria, DSS being one of the authorities or government departments envisaged by the above provision under the DSS law, the NASS have power by resolution to direct or cause to be directed an investigation into the conduct of the 15 DSS operatives under reference.

“We, therefore, call on the NASS to investigate and identify the 15 DSS operatives that were involved in the desecration of the sanctity of the court and judiciary of the nation with a view to recommending their dismissal from service to serve as deterrence to other like-minded security agents who are out to please their masters.

“In order to protect the independence of the judiciary which remains the backbone of every democracy, we further call on the NASS to amend the existing Sheriffs and Civil Process Act Laws of the Federation to create and empower a specific agency to be known as National Judgments and Orders Enforcement Agency (NJOEA) to take over the power of enforcing all the judgments and orders of Nigerian and foreign courts within the territory of Nigeria from Sheriffs, Deputy Sheriffs and Bailiffs who are ill-equipped to enforce the judgments and orders of courts without any form of fear discrimination.

“The power to enforce judgments and orders of courts in Nigeria currently is in the hands of Sheriffs and Bailiffs.

“Our stand is that there is a defect in the existing Sheriffs and Civil Process Act which lacks specific agency to enforce the judgments and orders of Nigerian and foreign courts in Nigeria.

“We are convinced that if the NASS heeds this clarion call to properly investigate the recent invasion of the court (judiciary) by the DSS operatives and amend the existing Sheriffs and Civil Process Act to create and empower a specific agency.

“The incidents of disobedience of court orders on any detainee be it Omoyele Sowore, Sambo Dasuki or Ibrahim Zakzaky among others will be a thing of the past and the much talked about the independence of the judiciary will be given a boost and by extension safeguard our hard-earned democracy.”

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