Court declares 2019 arrest, detention of Sowore illegal, awards damages against lawless DSS officers.

The arrest and unlawful detention of Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist, by lawless operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on August 3, 2019, has been declared illegal by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The court also ordered the DSS to pay the activist N1 million in damages as well as aggravated damages.

The judge issued the order while ruling on the activist’s fundamental rights lawsuits challenging his unlawful kidnapping at a Lagos hotel for calling for Nigerians to take to the streets to protest bad governance, insecurity, and corruption.

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

Through his lawyer, Abubakar Marshal, the activist asked the court to declare his detention by the DSS as unlawful “His fundamental right to liberty has been violated in a way that is both illegal and egregious.”

He also asked the court to order the DSS to pay him N500,000, 000.00 (five hundred million naira) in general and aggravated damages for violating the applicant’s fundamental rights to life, dignity, fair hearing, health, freedom of movement, and freedom of association.