Sowore takes DSS to Court Over Continued Detention.
– Steve Ovirih
The continued detention of the Convener of Revolution Now Movement, Mr . Omoyele Sowore has become another subject of litigation as the detained online news publisher of Sahara Reporters has dragged the Department of State Services (DSS) before the Federal High Court , Abuja. The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1409/2019 was dated 20th November, 2019.
Listed as respondents in the suit are DSS Director General and the Attorney General of the Federation , Mallam Abubakar Malami.
In the suit, the complainant accused the respondents of wantonly violating his fundamental human rights by their wilful disobedience to a ruling of a Federal High Court Judge, who had ordered his release, even after he had met the stringent bail conditions. Sowore noted that while it stood logic on its head that the DSS refused to read him his charge as they have failed to disclose his alleged offence, the Department of State security assaulted and brutalised him when his arrest was effected in Lagos.
In the reliefs sought by Sowore, he prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction which will restrain the respondents from further violating his fundamental human rights which are inalienable privileges of every citizen; he prayed the court to award five hundred million naira against the DSS for general and aggravated damages for the intentional violation of his human rights to life, dignity of his person , freedom of association , movement and fair hearing; he sought a declaration of the honorable court to the effect that his detention from November 7th , 2019 till date is a violation of the respected order for his release which had been made since November 6th 2019, hence his continued stay behind bars is a gross violation of the fundamental right to liberty as guaranteed by section 35 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and the Article 6 of the African Chatter on Human Rights as well as the Peoples’ Rights Ratification and Enforcement Act ( Cap A 10) laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services ( DSS) has noted in a report that the Convener of Revolution Now, Mr . Sowore has continued to incite the public against the Federal Government even from detention. On his continued detention DSS said it couldn’t release Mr. Sowore since no one had come to claim him from its custody.
In the past one week there have been protests in Abuja by the members of civil society groups clamouring for the release of the social critic and public crusader for good governance.
