Concerned Nigerians, Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution, Free Nigeria Movement, alongside some other pressure groups organise a one million-man match tomorrow, Wednesday, to protest against his incarceration of the convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Mr. Omoyele Sowore by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Deji Adeyanju is the convener of Concerned Nigerians; Ariyo Dare Atoye, Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution, and Adebayo Raphael, Free Nigeria Movement,
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Adeyanju said on behalf of the groups that they would lead the match to demand for Sowore’s unconditional release.
He said the groups also demanded the unconditional release of the “prisoners of conscience” such as Jones Abiri, Steven Kefas, Dadiyata and others.
Adeyanju further disclosed that the #FreeSoworeNow protest will take place at the Unity Fountain, Abuja.
It would be recalled that Sowore was arrested in the early hours of Saturday, August 3 in Lagos by men of the DSS on account of the #RevolutionNow protest which he had spearheaded.
He was then moved to Abuja on Sunday morning and is currently being detained in the custody of the DSS.
To avoid running against the Provisions of the law which stipulate that an accused cannot be detained for more than 48 hours, the agency had approached the court for an order to keep Sowore for the next 90 days pending the conclusion of investigation.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Thursday August 8, granted the request sought by the Department of State Services (DSS) to detain Sowore.
But instead of 90 days sought by the DSS, the court granted 45 days.
The period, according to Justice Taiwo, is to enable the Department of State Service (DSS) carry out and conclude its investigation of Sowore on allegations of instigating the public and seeking a change of the present administration order than the provided constitutional means of doing so.
Justice Taiwo however said if at the end of the 45 days, investigation was yet to be concluded, the applicant can apply for a fresh order but must not keep him without an order of court.
But Sowore, in a Motion on Notice, brought pursuant to sections 6 (6) (B), 35 and 36(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, section 293 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and under the jurisdiction of the Court, filed a suit asking court to vacate the order on the grounds that the order was made in violation of his full
The motion filed on August 9 by Sowore’s counsel, Mr. Femi Falana, was predicated on 18 grounds and supported by a 24- paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Marshall Abubakar.
Parts of the grounds are that: “The said order breached the fundamental right provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“The detention of the respondent/applicant for an initial 4 days period before the grant of the ex-parte order is illegal by virtue of Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“The order ex-parte brought pursuant to Section 27 (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2013 was obtained by the applicant/respondent to legalise an illegal detention by the applicant/respondent.
“The applicant/respondent dumped the video evidence in support of its application on the Honourable Court whilst the learned trial judge watched same in his chambers and not in the open court.
“The respondent/applicant was arrested on Saturday 3rd August, 2019 before the planned protest that took place on Monday 5th August, 2019 while he was already under the custody of the Applicant/Respondent.”
Other grounds canvassed by the plaintiff were that the motion ex parte was predicated on suppression and misrepresentation of material facts and that it constitutes a gross abuse of the court process.
