InsideOjodu recalls that Sowore had recently dragged the DSS before an Abuja Federal High Court over his continued detention.

The activist was asking the court to order the DSS to pay him N500m as general and aggravated damages over his detention which he termed as an illegal violation of his fundamental rights.

Sowore had issued the threat through his counsel, Femi Falana, who alleged that the federal government has applied to the Federal High Court in Abuja for an order to transfer Sowore, and his co-accused, Olawale Bakare, from the custody of the DSS to prison.

He stated this in a letter dated December 1 and addressed to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

In the letter, Falana charged Malami to prevail on the DSS to release Sowore.

He said: “In treating the court order with provocative contempt, the State Security Service has insisted on approving the sureties of our clients after they have been verified by the Federal High Court.

“From the information at our disposal, there is no precedent whatsoever for the illegal demand.

“Instead of purging the security agency of such contempt of the Federal High Court, the prosecutor, Dr Hassan Liman (SAN), engaged by your good self to prosecute our clients, has curiously applied to the trial court to have them transferred to a correctional centre and detained indefinitely for having the temerity to question the illegal directive to produce their sureties.

“In view of the fact that the Federal Government has never given any precondition before complying with the orders of the British Court in the case of P & ID and other matters, we are compelled to request you to direct the State Security Service to comply with the orders of the Federal High Court for the unconditional release of our clients.

“Take notice that if you fail to accede to our request, we shall be compelled to carry out the firm instructions of our clients to pursue the contempt proceedings which have been initiated against Mr Yusuf Bichi, the Director-General of the State Security Service.

“In addition, we shall also report your good self and the prosecutor to the Nigerian Bar Association and the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee for encouraging the State Security Service to treat orders of Nigerian courts with disdain while you are anxious to obey the orders of British courts.”

Sowore is asking the court to order the DSS to pay him N500m as general and aggravated damages over his detention which he termed as an illegal violation of his fundamental rights.

This is contained in a suit marked FHC/ABJ /C51409/2019, and supported by a 21-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Abubakar Marshall and accompanied by a written address, Saharareporters reports.

According to the suit: “A declaration that the detention of the applicant from November 7, 2019 till date in violation of the order for his release made on November 6, 2019 is illegal as it violates his fundamental right to liberty guaranteed by Section 35 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Article 6 of African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement Act (CAP A10) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

“An order of this court compelling the respondents to pay to the applicant the sum of N500,000, 000, 00 ( Five hundred million naira) as general and aggravated damages for the illegal violation of the applicant’s fundamental right to life, dignity of his person, fair hearing, health, freedom of movement and freedom of association.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from further violating the applicant’s fundamental rights in any manner whatsoever and however without lawful justification.”

Recall that Sowore was arrested in Lagos on August 3, 2019, for calling for a revolution in Nigeria, meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Abuja had recently ordered his release alongside Olawale Adebayo.

However, the DSS was yet to comply with the order and claimed that no surety had come to take Sowore on bail, adding that it will release Sowore if his sureties come forward for documentation.