Lawyers in Defence of Democracy (LDD), coming together as a cohesive coalition, have rebuked the Department of State Services (DSS) for what they perceive as incendiary and prejudiced remarks.
The DSS, in their allegations, implicated the legal representatives defending the suspended Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, as individuals associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The social media post made by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday, insinuating that Maxwell Okpara, the legal representative for the suspended CBN Governor, may have affiliations with IPOB, has garnered widespread scrutiny and raised eyebrows.
Within the borders of Nigeria, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) operates as a banned organization due to its pursuit of seceding Igbo land from the country.
In connection with the continued detention of the embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, a group of lawyers filed contempt charges against DSS Director-General, Yusuf Bichi, which led the Department of State Services to label them as ‘charge and bail lawyers’ in a statement released on Tuesday.
On its official Twitter handle, the Department of State Services (DSS) expressed its observations in a series of tweets, singling out the lawyers involved and highlighting their leader as an ‘Overzealous and uninformed IPOB/ESN lawyer.’
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The secret police stated, ‘Charge and bail, overzealous uninformed IPOB/ESN lawyer Maxwell Okpara mobilises other like-minded lawyers against DGSS. Futile Efforts. Well, Nigerians, beware! This is in bad faith. Transferred aggression. A Biafran Republic agitator and Outlawed IPOB counsel defending the suspended CBN Governor. Is IPOB defending one of theirs?’
Tijani Ahmed and Maxwell Opara, on behalf of the Coalition of Lawyers, stated in response to the DSS’s terrorist designation and what they perceived as ethnic profiling. The coalition demanded the termination of the DSS Director-General, noting that the agency’s behaviour demonstrated an anti-Igbo stance, providing evidence of Godwin Emefiele’s detention being rooted in personal vindictiveness.
The Coalition of Lawyers strongly rebuked the DSS, stating that their statement amounted to a disrespectful and offensive assault on the judiciary’s sanctity.
They urged President Bola Tinubu to demonstrate his commitment to upholding professional standards by taking appropriate action, possibly suspending or dismissing the Director-General.
The lawyers raised valid queries, asking the secret police to shed light on the investigative process that resulted in their identification as IPOB members.
The group said, ‘The DSS is clearly frustrated. They have nothing against Emefiele. This is just an example of kettle calling pot black. A rogue agency who at several occasions refused to obey court orders, is pointing fingers at someone else.’
‘How can an intelligence agency, write this kind of trash on her official Twitter handle? A total disgrace. A nation’s secret police tweeting something so irresponsible. The APC-led government need to prove to Nigerians that the DSS is an agency of the nation not the political elite by sacking Yusuf Bichi now!!!. We are waiting, the international community is watching. This is disgraceful. We won’t tolerate any disrespect to the judiciary.’
The lawyers strongly believed that the DSS’s reaction was a deliberate tactic to stifle Emefiele’s lawyers, indicating their belief that the agency’s case against him was weak and unsubstantiated.