IBADAN – African Action Congress, AAC Chairman, Oyo state, Comrade Rotimi Ogunlana, says the party has lost all confidence in the Department of State Security Service as to when its Presidential Candidate in the 2019 election Omoyele Sowore will be released.
The DSS has failed to release Sowore despite a court order after meeting stringent bail conditions and his lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has raised the alarm that the DSS was plotting to arrest the convener of #RevolutionNow protest for fresh charges.
Last week, DSS said there was no one to receive the activist from its personnel hence its inability to release him.
But on Thursday, the Department of State Services (DSS) says it is prepared to release Mr. Omoyele Sowore, the convener of the planned RevolutionNow protest but waiting for appropriate persons to take his delivery.
Dr. Peter Afunanya, the Public Relations Officer of the Service disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
He said appropriate persons were yet to turn up to take his delivery adding that he would be released once the processes were concluded.
According to him, it is only appropriate that those who stood surety for him present themselves and have him released to them.
“While all those that have so far shown up are not directly concerned with the matter and therefore unqualified; many others have either chosen to grandstand or politicise it to achieve hidden interests.
“The service reassures the public that it will not waste a second to release Sowore if the proper processes are followed,” he said.
He said the service had in the last few days, continued to witness deliberate campaigns of calumny, threats and aspersions against it.
Afunanya said the DSS would not, for any reason, join issues with its Mudslingers adding that the role of the media was to be neutral and remain champions of truth.
“It is even more disappointing that Mr Femi Falana, who is a senior lawyer, would wrongly guide his client and supporters.
“He is rather playing to the gallery and mobilizing miscreants to subvert the Service and other state authorities.
“He has excellent relationship with the DSS. But in the circumstance, he has refused to reach out to him over the case like he had on previously related ones.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Service restates its commitment to the rule of law and particularly respect to the court,” he said.
The information officer calls for calm but stated that the service would not be intimidated or harassed into hasty actions.
Afunanya had denied reports in some sections of the media that operatives of the service opened fire on alleged protesters who stormed its facility on Nov. 12.
He said the operatives had stood in defence of their facility when some group of persons made unruly attempts to forcefully break into DSS to effect the release of Sowore.
“Despite serial and unwarranted provocations, the service, as a professional and responsible organisation, did not shoot at the so called protesters,” he added.
However, in an exclusive interview with ametrocopy, Comrade Ogunlana said the DSS keeps coming up with one story or the other which has made everyone lose confidence in it.
“Last week, they said they were expecting someone to come for him as if he was a parcel, this week they are waiting for the sureties.
I think its better DSS comes out with the truth and let the world know if their masters have told them not to release Sowore” he said.
