Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has said the arrest and detention of Omoyele Sowore in 2019 by the federal government is unlawful.
The court also ordered the government to pay the sum of N1 million as aggravated damages to the activist.
In his ruling on the fundamental rights suits filed by the Sowore to challenge his unlawful arrest at a Lagos hotel for asking Nigerians to take to the streets and protest against bad governance, insecurity, and corruption, the court said the arrest is illegal.
The plaintiff had on November 15, 2019, filed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1407/2019 challenging the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, and attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), for their illegal arrest and detention.
The activist, through his lawyer, Abubakar Marshal, asked the court to declare his unlawful detention by the DSS as “illegal and a gross violation of his fundamental right to liberty”.
He also asked the court for an order compelling the DSS to pay to him the sum of N500 million as general and aggravated damages for the illegal violation of his fundamental right to life, the dignity of his person, fair hearing, health, freedom of movement and freedom of association.
