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Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Igboho: No Nigerian law permits SSS to invade peoples’ homes like armed robbers, says Falana

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana said SSS acted like armed robbers by nocturnally raiding the home of Sunday Igboho without search warrant.

• July 5, 2021
Femi Falana
Femi Falana

Human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana has condemned the raid on Sunday Igboho’s home by the State Security Service, saying the SSS acted like armed robbers. 

The State Security Service, last Thursday, stormed the home of Mr Igboho, an agitator for the realisation of a sovereign Yoruba nation, killing two persons and declaring him wanted, claiming that he is planning an insurrection against the country. 

Mr Falana said only armed robbers will raid homes like the SSS raided Mr Igboho’s home because no law permits such act.  

“There is no law in Nigeria that allows you to arrest somebody in the dead of the night when you are not planning a coup and you are not an armed robber,” Falana told Channels TV on Monday night.

“There is no provision, unless a crime is being committed in the night; you cannot go there and arrest.

In this case, you are required by law to bring a search warrant. In this case, there was no search warrant, nobody took an inventory.”

Mr Falana further said the nocturnal raid on Mr Igboho’s home is a “dangerous legacy of military dictatorship exhibited by the Muhammadu Buhahri regime.”

“Take Ibadan for instance, the invasion of the home of Igboho happened in the night and for all-day, everybody was wondering who did and that seven people were killed.

People were arrested and abducted at 2:00 a.m., the governor of the state wasn’t aware. 

“Now, Sunday Adeyemo has said I didn’t have any gun in my house. Yet, the SSS paraded guns and other ammunition.

All the controversies would have been unnecessary if the SSS had behaved like a modern, civilised agency.

These are very dangerous legacies of military dictatorship in our country,” Mr Falana said. 

Mr Igboho has filed a lawsuit against the federal government demanding compensation of N500 million and an apology  from Nigerian government for invading his home and vandalising his properties.

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