Lawyers Counter DSS’s Terrorist Label, Call for Suspension of Agency Head
A group of lawyers, operating under the name Lawyers in Defence of Democracy (LDD), has strongly criticized the Department of State Services (DSS) for alleging that lawyers representing the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, in court, are members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The DSS had tweeted a suggestion that one of the lawyers, Maxwell Okpara, defending Emefiele, could be affiliated with IPOB, a banned group in Nigeria.
The Coalition of Lawyers condemned the DSS’s statement as provocative and anti-Igbo, emphasizing that it was an insult to the judiciary. They demanded the immediate suspension or removal of the DSS Director-General, accusing the agency of ethnic profiling and conducting a personal vendetta against Emefiele.
The lawyers questioned how the DSS could draw conclusions about their alleged IPOB membership and asserted that the DSS’s remarks were intended to silence Emefiele’s legal team, as they lacked substantial evidence against him.
They further criticized the DSS for its history of disregarding court orders and called on President Bola Tinubu to demonstrate that the DSS is an agency serving the nation, not just the political elite, by taking decisive action and dismissing the Director-General, Yusuf Bichi.
The lawyers concluded by stating that they would not tolerate any disrespect towards the judiciary and emphasized that the international community was closely observing the situation.
