DSS Orders Probe Into Sowore Court Incident

The Department of State Services (DSS) has ordered an immediate investigation into the conduct of its operatives following an incident at the Federal High Court in Abuja that culminated in the remand of activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore in Kuje Prison.

The disclosure was contained in a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Favour Dozie, and issued from the Service’s National Headquarters in Abuja on June 23, 2026.

The statement reads in part: “The Department of State Services (DSS) has noted concerns of some citizens over events at a Federal High Court in Abuja on June 22, 2026, leading to the remand of Omoyele Sowore in Kuje Prison. Of more concern is the scene depicting Sowore’s altercation with an official of a custodial centre and a seeming scuffle with operatives of the Service.”

According to the DSS, although Sowore eventually opted to travel in a DSS vehicle instead of one belonging to the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Director-General had directed an immediate probe into the alleged conduct of operatives involved in the incident.

The Service, however, maintained that it was necessary to clarify the circumstances that led to the ongoing court case. It stated that Sowore had, on August 25, 2025, published a post on his X and Facebook accounts which the DSS considered disparaging to President Bola Tinubu.

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The DSS said that rather than arrest Sowore, it issued a letter dated September 4, 2025, demanding a retraction within one week, adding that the approach was consistent with the current leadership’s preference for resolving disputes without force and seeking judicial interpretation where necessary.

Citing previous cases involving Professor Pat Utomi’s shadow government initiative, media reports on alleged invasions of the Lagos State House of Assembly and National Assembly Complex, as well as legal actions involving SERAP, the Service said it has consistently relied on legal channels and the rule of law rather than arrests.

The DSS explained that it eventually filed charges against Sowore under Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CR/481/2025, seeking judicial interpretation of “his right or otherwise to disparage and cyberbully the President.”

The Service further noted that Sowore was granted bail on self-recognition without a surety at the commencement of the trial, a decision it neither opposed nor challenged.

“From the foregoing, it is clear that the issues that led to his bail revocation and subsequent remand were entirely premised on court processes, as the Service neither arrested him nor opposed his bail,” the statement added.

The DSS reaffirmed its commitment to professionalism, civility, and adherence to the rule of law, assuring the public that it would continue to conduct its operations responsibly even in the face of provocation.