Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has said he did not have hands in the raid conducted by the Department of State Security (DSS) in the residence of Yoruba nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo fondly called Sunday Igboho, in the early hours of July 1, 2021, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Besides, Malami said he is neither a security officer, nor acted in position of court. He stated that the DSS did not inform him before carrying out the raid and that he is not a Fulani as alleged by Igboho.
The submissions were contained in an affidavit, deposed to on August 18, 2021 by one Thomas Etah, who is a civil servant at the Federal Ministry of Justice Headquarters, Abuja. The affidavit was filed before Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, in the case of fundamental human rights filed by Igboho, through his lawyer, Chief Yomi Alliyu (SAN), over invasion of his house, during which two persons were killed, 12 persons arrested and taken to Abuja and multi-million naira property were purportedly damaged.
Etah, in the affidavit, said Malami, who is the first respondent in the case with number M/435/2021, “is conversant with the facts deposed herein.” The case was instituted by Igboho, against the trio of AGF as first respondent, DSS as second respondent, and Director of DSS in Oyo State as third respondent.
The affidavit read in part: “That I have the consent and authority of the 1st Respondent and that of Maimuna Lami Shiru (Mrs), Simon Enock, Abdullahi Abubakar and Elodimuo Ekene (Esq) the counsel in chambers assigned to conduct the defence on behalf of the 1st Respondent (Malami) to depose to this Counter-Affidavit.”
He stated that Malami is not a security officer and he did not participate in the commission of the acts, being complained of or came back to Abuja and assumed the role of a judge or conducted any media trial. He stated further that Malami “did not approach any bank or financial institution in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world to block and/or place no debit on the account of the applicant (Igboho).”
Etah said the first respondent did not place ‘fahtwa’ on Igboho and he is not chasing after his life to be killed on account of his perceived campaign for self-determination or for any other reason at all.
He also made it known that Malami did not commit or authorise any security agency to raid and destroy Igboho’s property to warrant the bogus compensation being sought by the applicant. He added that Malami did not know Igboho’s WhatsApp video number or the incident that led to the WhatsApp video call, and sundry issues in the avements in the paragraphs of the affidavit by the applicant’s despondent.
“The first respondent is not a security officer and has not authorised any security officer to commit the acts, being complained about, even as the respondent is not a Fulani man, contrary to the insinuations being created by the Deponent/Applicant. That it will be in the interest of justice to dismiss the suit or application in its entirety as it relates to the 1st respondent.”
But the case has been adjourned to August 30, 2021 for further hearing by Justice Akintola. The court held that the restraining order granted Igboho on August 4, this year, subsists against the AGF and DSS, not to arrest, intimidate, harass, and freeze the bank accounts of Igboho, till the next adjournment date.