Court Orders DSS To Pay Sowore ₦2 Million, Apologize For Phones Seizures

Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS) has been ordered to pay ₦2 Million to former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore and apologise for seizing his phones.

Ezenwoko’s Blog reports that Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja gave the order in a judgement delivered on Wednesday.

According to the judge, the fine and the apology are punishments for the DSS for breach of Sowore’s fundamental rights.

The presiding judge also ordered the secret police to apologise to the human rights activist in two national dailies.

The judgement follows the suit filed by his lawyer, Funmi Falana, against the DSS compelling the service to return his phones seized since August 2019 when he was first arrested.

Sowore was first arrested on August 3, 2019, by the DSS and was remained in detention until December 5, 2019, when he was briefly released on bail.

On December 6, he was rearrested inside the Federal High Court, Abuja by DSS operatives and was kept in custody until Tuesday, December 24, 2019.

While on December 24, 2019, the activist was freed following an order by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), but his mobile phones were not returned by the DSS officials.

Meanwhile, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje has transmitted power to his deputy, Dr. Nasir Yusuf Gawuna who will now be the acting Governor of the state.

Ezenwoko’s Blog understands this is as the Governor is expected to be away from the state to attend a leadership course at the Harvard Business School, Boston, USA.

The course titled “Authentic Leadership Development Programme” is scheduled to last for one week.

Disclosing this development, the State Commissioner for Information, Mallam Muhammad Garba said all issues and official transactions are to be channelled to the Office of the Deputy Governor in the absence of Ganduje.

He said the Deputy Governor has been empowered to act in full acting capacity pending the return of Governor Ganduje.