Protest as DSS refuses to release Sowore despite court order

Bayo Wahab 16:28 - 09 November 2019

Sowore supporters protesting at the headquarters of the DSS on Saturday, after the security agency refused to release him. (TheCable)

Members of Sowore's family went to the DSS Headquarters to take him home, but DSS officials prevented them from seeing him.

Following Department of State Services’ refusal to release Omoyele Sowore despite court order, a group of Nigerians have marched down to the headquarters of the agency to protest against continued detention of the publisher.

The DSS had on Friday, November 8, 2019, pledged to release the activist , saying nobody had come to take him home since it received the court order to release him.

In the morning of Saturday, November 9, 2019, two Premium Times journalists went to the DSS headquarters in Abuja to take delivery of Sowore as the secret police requested, but the journalists were not allowed to take him home as some DSS officials claimed that there was no one around to attend to inquiries concerning Sowore.

One of Sowore’s lawyers, Abubakar Marshal, who was at the DSS office on Saturday with some members of Sowore’s family were reportedly prevented from gaining access into the facility.

The refusal of the DSS officials to let them see Sowore, who was the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 presidential election prompted some of the supporters of the activist to stage a protest outside the headquarters of the secret police.

Sowore has spent over three months in the DSS custody.

He was arrested in Lagos on Saturday, August 3, 2019, at 1 am ahead of his #revolutionnow protest. He was later moved to Abuja, where he is being detained by the DSS.