Court Orders DSS to Pay N1m to Sowore Over Illegal Arrest And Detention

The Department of State Services, DSS, has been ordered to pay N1million as damages to a human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore.

Federal High Court in Abuja gave the order saying the DSS unlawfully arrested and detained Sowore in 2019.

In a ruling on the fundamental rights suits filed by the activist, Justice Obiora Egwuatu ruled that Sowore’s arrest and detention were unlawful and illegal.

According to the judge, the arrest of the former presidential candidate was infringed on his fundamental human rights and asked the secret police to pay the activist the fine.

Recall that the activist had challenged his unlawful abduction at a Lagos hotel for asking Nigerians to take to the streets and protest against bad governance, insecurity and corruption.

The activist had on November 15, 2019, filed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1407/2019 challenging the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, and Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), for his illegal arrest and detention.

The activist, through his lawyer, Abubakar Marshal, asked the court to declare his unlawful detention by the DSS as “illegal and a gross violation of his fundamental right to liberty”.

He also asked the court for an order compelling the DSS to pay to him the sum of Five hundred million naira as general and aggravated damages for the illegal violation of the applicant’s fundamental right to life, the dignity of his person, fair hearing, health, freedom of movement and freedom of association.