Sowore’s supporters accuse DSS of injuring activist

Supporters of human rights activist and former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, have accused operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) of forcefully arresting and injuring him despite a court order directing that he be remanded in a correctional facility.

The allegation followed a ruling by Justice Mohammed Umar, who ordered that Sowore be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his application seeking a stay of execution of an earlier order that revoked his bail.

The judge also rejected Sowore’s request for his recusal from the case over alleged bias and adjourned proceedings until June 24, 2026.

According to Sowore’s supporters, DSS operatives seized him within the court premises shortly after the ruling and attempted to take him away, allegedly injuring him in the process.

A video broadcast live on Sowore’s Facebook page showed a DSS operative grabbing him by the waist and dragging him away while other operatives blocked his supporters from reaching him.

The incident sparked protests at the Federal High Court complex, with supporters blocking access to the premises. They argued that the court had ordered Sowore to be held in a correctional facility, not in the custody of the DSS or the police.

Speaking to journalists, the AAC chairman in the Federal Capital Territory, Agena Roberts Ande, condemned the action.

“Today we came to court, and as you rightly know, there was an order from the court that Sowore should be provided in court. A bench warrant was given, Sowore accepted, and came to court by himself. Nobody forced him to come to court.

“And then a judgment was given that Sowore should be handed to the Correctional Service. The DSS went behind and kidnapped Sowore in court, even injuring him.

“That is why we all staged here and said no to that impunity. We said the government that designed the rules must obey the rule. If the court gives an order that Sowore should be given to the Correctional Service centre, Sowore should not be given to the police or the DSS,” he said.

Earlier, Sowore said he was not surprised by the court’s decision.

“Nobody should be surprised. I have predicted before now that all these things would happen. But they are happening for a good reason: somebody must make the sacrifice that will liberate this country.

“I am going to prison, but I will be out. And when I am out, I will be stronger, more ferocious, and face these people headlong. That is my message to the Nigerian people,” he said.

The DSS is prosecuting Sowore over an alleged criminal defamation case linked to social media posts in which he reportedly described President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal.”

Sowore has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The court had earlier revoked his bail on June 16 and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear for the continuation of his trial.