Nigeria’s Federal Judge “Disappears” As Soon As Bail Is Perfected For 12 Detained Igboho’s Associates

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has suddenly gone ‘missing’ after the 12 detained associates of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, met all their bail conditions.
SaharaReporters learnt from a source at the court that they met all their bail conditions on Wednesday.

According to the source, when they took the detainees to the judge, “they were told that he did not come to work and had left instructions that another judge must not sign on his behalf”.
SaharaReporters learnt that Justice Egwuatu was supposed to sign the release warrant of the detainees but the bail office of the court said he was not available to do so.

The court had asked each of the 12 detainees to get two sureties each, making it a total of 24 sureties. The detainees had secured the sureties last week but the bail office of the court said it needed to write letters to the offices of the 24 sureties to get more confirmation.SEE ALS
The Department of State Services (DSS) had arrested the 12 persons on July 1, 2021, during a raid on Igboho’s Ibadan residence around 1am, killing two persons in the process.

The 12 detained persons had approached the court to seek their release in line with their fundamental human rights.
The aides are Abdullateef Onaolapo, Tajudeen Irinloye, Dikeola Ademola, Ayobami Donald, Uthman Adelabu, Olakunle Oluwapelumi, Raji Kazeem, and Taiwo Tajudeen; while the four aides are Amudat Babatunde, Abideen Shittu, Jamiu Oyetunji, and Bamidele Sunday.
Justice Egwuatu had on August 4, 2021 admitted the 12 applicants to bail.

The 12 persons have spent about 50 days in the custody of the secret police in Abuja but the DSS through its lawyer, Idowu Awo filed a remand application, asking the court to nullify the bail earlier granted to four of the 12 detained associates of Igboho.