Tope Temokun, counsel to Omoyele Sowore, has written to President Muhammadu Buhari, asking him to ensure the safety of the life of the activist as thugs hired by government security agencies are plotting his assassination.
The lawyer warned the Buhari government that on Tuesday, December 7 when Sowore would appear before the Court of Appeal, Abuja for the hearing of his application challenging further his stringent bail conditions, his safety must be guaranteed and he must not be attacked by hoodlums.
The letter, obtained by reporters on Monday, added that intelligence already revealed that the security agents had mobilised thugs to be conveyed to the court of appeal tomorrow (Tuesday) to attack Sowore to prevent him from having his day in court.
The letter to Buhari reads, “We act as Solicitors to Mr. Omoyele Sowore, a pro-democracy activist and social justice crusader (hereinafter referred to as “Our Client”), on whose behalf and express instruction we write this open letter to you.
“On Tuesday, the 21st day of October, 2021, while our client was at the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja to observe and witness the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, he was attacked by some men, armed with petrol bombs and other lethal weapons, who alighted, with no caution, from a vehicle with registration number BWR 812 KM that had conveyed them down to the Court.
“Our client informed us that he was amidst the officers of the Nigeria Police Force and operatives of the DSS on the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja, when these suspected sponsored thugs launched the attack on him.
“Following this incident, petitions dated the 25th of October 2021 and the 29th of October 2021 were submitted to the Police Service Commission and the Inspector-General of Police on the 28th of October 2021 and the 29th of October 2021 respectively complaining about this incident and the complicity of the security agents, particularly the police officers present at the scene, led by one CSP ABDULLAHI ABUBAKAR HASSAN, the DPO of the Federal Secretariat Police Station, Abuja. Copies of these petitions were sent to Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard, United States Ambassador to Nigeria and Ambassador Keti Karlsen, EU Ambassador to Nigeria.
“While the Police Service Commission has not responded to the petition to our knowledge, we received invitation from the IGP X-Squad Abuja on our petition that the IG had directed our petition be investigated and on the 22nd of November 2021, we were at the office of the IGP X-Squad where our client, Mr. Omoyele Sowore gave his statement to the police on the attack on him on the court premises and the complicity of the security agents present.
“While investigation on this serious matter is supposed to be ongoing or believed to be ongoing, our client briefed us that on Thursday, 2nd of December, 2021, armed thugs wielding dangerous weapons attacked him on the premises of the Federal High Court Abuja and damaged his vehicle while he narrowly escaped being assassinated by these thugs he believed were mobilized to the Court by the DSS working in collusion with some police units.
“Tomorrow the 7th of December 2021, Our Client is to appear before the Court of Appeal Abuja for the hearing of his application challenging further his stringent bail conditions which had restricted him to Abuja since 2019 and information at Our Client’s disposal this minute is that the security agents have mobilized thugs to be conveyed to the court of appeal tomorrow to attack him to prevent him from having his day in court.
“Having exhausted all the hierarchical facilities of complaint against this act of barbarism and brigandage in which the DSS have kept mute despite the open outcry of Our Client of their complicity in these serial attacks and the police too have not come out with the helpful result of their investigation, we are constrained to write to you Mr. President to lay before you the hatched assassination attempts on our client by forces enjoying the backing the law enforcement agents under your government. We therefore call for your intervention as silence in this case by all authorities and the presidency will lead to no other conclusion than that the attack is coming by order from the above.
“We commit the safety of Mr. Omoyele Sowore to the hands of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under you, Mr. President, as he pursues social justice through the Courts that we all agree and believe is the last hope of the common man and with full confidence, that all forms of intimidation notwithstanding, in the fullness of time, the course of justice shall mature and justice shall prevail.”
SaharaReporters had on Sunday chronicled the series of attacks carried out by government-backed hoodlums on Sowore in the recent years.
For instance, on February 6, 2021, a police officer who had tortured and broken Sowore’s nose during #CrossOverProtest on January 1 came to court with the same squad to intimidate the activist.
On July 26, 2021, the Nigeria Police Force and DSS unleashed violence on Sowore as he arrived at the Federal High Court in Abuja to witness the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
On October 21, the DSS also colluded with thugs to attack Sowore in the same court after he was denied entry by policemen during Kanu’s trial.
It took the intervention of some journalists covering the event to rescue the activist from his attackers, who had arrived on the scene in vehicles.
But to the surprise of everyone, the security agents including the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Federal Secretariat Police Station looked on as the activist was being assaulted.
On December 2, the DSS added to the already swelling list of attacks against Sowore’s liberty on court premises.
Last Thursday’s attack was not the first time the DSS would be mobilising thugs to go after Sowore – the latest incident only adds to an already swelling list.
Armed thugs hired by the DSS attacked Sowore as he made his way out of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Immediately they sighted him, the thugs rushed towards Sowore and started throwing stones at the activist and the people with him.
As he navigated his way out of the court premises, the thugs rained several more stones on his car, damaging the shields, windows and some other parts.