Terrorism: Cleric regains freedom after 14 months in DSS detention

After 14 months in “illegal” detention in the custody of Department of State Services, an Ogun State-based Islamic cleric, ‎Abdul-Ganiyy Ibrahim-Jimoh, regained his freedom on Monday.
Ibrahim-Jimoh’s release came almost three months after Justice Folake Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, declared the continuous incarceration of the cleric as “unconstitutional, illegal and abuse of human rights”.
Ibrahim-Jimoh, alongside his pregnant wife, Muinat, was arrested by security operatives on July 5, 2014‎ at his Ijoko-Ota residence in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.
But the wife was ‎subsequently released in September 2014 when her expected delivery date was approaching.
Miffed by the development, a non-governmental organisation‎, the Prisoners Right Advocacy Initiative, took the matter to court.
The PRAI Director and a legal practitioner, ‎Ahmed Adetola-Kaseem, said the continuous detention of Ibrahim-Jimoh without trial was against the provisions of the nation’s Constitution.
As a result, Justice Ogunbanjo on June 18 declared the detention as an infringement on the fundamental rights to dignity of person, personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed by Section 34, 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
The judge also granted the cleric N1 million damages and‎ ordered the DSS to tender a public apology to him.
However, at about 11am on Monday, the DSS released the cleric to members of his family and well-wishers who thronged the premises of the Federal High Court, Abeokuta.
The release was in partial compliance with the court judgement as the DSS had yet to tender the public apology and pay the N1 million damages.
Ibrahim-Jimoh, who looked frail after his release, betrayed emotions as he wept profusely while other family members also joined.
He told newsmen: “Let us just thank Allah who has allowed me to see this day.
“I will just thank Allah and appreciate all those who assisted.
“I will not be able to speak much.
“Let us just thank Allah.
“Let us leave it like that.”
Adetola-Kaseem bemoaned the partial compliance with the court judgement by the DSS.
He said: “Many people were arrested and have died in custody. Many people don’t even know where they were. This particular cleric, nobody knew where he was for 64 days until when his wife was being released that we knew where he was.
“We started the battle, got the judgement but the judgement was also not obeyed. On the damages, we will discuss and know where to go now that the cleric is out. They are yet to comply and also with the public apology.”