TheCable

Inyang Ekwo, judge of a federal high court in Abuja, has fixed March 25 to hear a fundamental human rights suit Omoyele Sowore, convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, filed against the Department of State Services (DSS).

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ /CS/1409/2019, Sowore challenged Yusuf Bichi, director-general of DSS, over his detention in 2019.

He also joined Abubakar Malami, the attorney general of the federation, as a respondent.

One of the reliefs sought by Sowore is “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.”

Olawale Bakare, Sowore’s co-defendant, also filed a human right suit against the DSS and AGF demanding N500m compensation.

The DSS arrested Sowore on August 2, 2019. Despite being granted bail by two different courts, the security service failed to release the activist who was eventually released on December 24, 2019.

Sowore and Bakare are standing trial on a two-count charge of treasonable felony before Ijeoma Ojukwu, a federal high court judge.