Lagos lawyer, Bamidele Aturu, on Monday threatened to sue the Department of State Security (DSS) over continuous detention of three Lebanese in connection with gun-running and terrorism allegations.

Aturu, who is the lawyer to the detained suspects, stressed in a letter to the Director General of DSS, that it was unlawful for the agency to keep his clients in custody.

The lead suspect, Mustapha Fawaz, who is the proprietor of Amigo Supermarket and the Wonderland Amusement Park both in Abuja, was arrested by DSS operatives on May 16, 2013, while the other two Lebanese citizens, Abdalah Tahini and Talal Rouda were arrested in Kano on May 17 on the same allegation.

On May 29, the foreigners were paraded before the press by the DSS, and are still in custody, while Amigo Supermarket was shut down on May 31.

But Aturu wants the DSS to either release the suspects or charge them to court, failure of which a suit would be filed.

According to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Daily Independent, Aturu said: “Since their arrest, we have also been told they have been held incommunicado and been denied access to members of their families, lawyers and doctors. Perhaps, more worrisomely, no charge has been preferred against any of our clients in any court of law for any known offence.

“As officers in the temple of justice, it is our bounden duty to call your attention to certain fundamental rights of the clients that would appear to have been abridged by the actions of the security operatives in this instance. First, it is indubitable that under Nigerian law, suspects are presumed innocent until proven otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction. Consequently, it is clear to us that our clients are entitled to be treated with all the dignities guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria including but not limited to reasonable access to their lawyers, family members and their doctors.”

“Second, the law is inflexibly clear that a person arrested in an area having a court of competent jurisdiction within a radius of forty Kilometres such as Kano and Abuja cannot be detained beyond 24 hours without being charged with an offence. A cursory reading of section 35 of the Constitution and a plethora of judicial authorities, particularly those of the Supreme Court, puts this beyond any peradventure.

“In the circumstances, it is our instruction to demand, and we hereby so do, that you cause our clients to be released forthwith or that you prefer charges against them before a court of competent jurisdiction,” Aturu stressed.

Oko_AGB: Even though d lawyer is right, my first reaction was anger at his threat. I wish he were not right. I for insult him and him lineage.

Kai! Maybe those rules concerning 24hrs detention etc, shouldn't hold for terrorism related offences

donigspain: Aturu in Igbo language means sheep... Hope am right my people? :\

Okija juju: No wonder his mother named him ATURU!!

Oko_AGB: Even though d lawyer is right, my first reaction was anger at his threat. I wish he were not right. I for insult him and him lineage.

Kai! Maybe those rules concerning 24hrs detention etc, shouldn't hold for terrorism related offences