Abubakar Malami, Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, has taken over the case involving the convener of the #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, from the Department of State Security Services (DSS).
In a statement on Friday, the minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Gwandu, said the decision followed a December 11 letter sent on behalf of the AGF by the Solicitor-General of the Federation, Dayo Apata (SAN), to the Director-General of SSS, Yusuf Bichi, directing the security agency to “promptly forward all the case files” to the AGF office.
“The Solicitor General of the Federation and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Dayo Apata, SAN who signed the letter referred to a letter from the DSS office on September 9, 2019,” the statement by the AGF’s media aide read in part,
It quoted Apata’s letter as stating that “the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice upon a further review of the case has directed the immediate take-over of the prosecution of all charges in respect of Omoyole Sowore by the Federal Ministry of Justice in line with the provisions of Sections 150(1) and 174 (1) (a-c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)”.
The letter requested the Director to “promptly forward all the case files” in respect of Omoyele Sowore to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
The statement by the media aide of the minister indicated that the move to take over the case from the DSS was to ensure speedy completion of the case.