Supporters of detained human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, on Monday staged a protest at the premises of the Federal High Court in Abuja, alleging that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) improperly took custody of the activist following a court order remanding him in Kuje Correctional Centre.
The protesters, who gathered outside the court shortly after proceedings, expressed concern over Sowore’s whereabouts and the manner in which he was escorted from the court premises.
One of the protesters, Akin Tola Kolawale Joseph, popularly known as “Juju Day,” accused security operatives of deceiving supporters about Sowore’s destination after the court session.
“They kidnapped our leader, Sowore, the one voice that we have for now. They took him from the court and later told us they did not know where he was,” he alleged.
According to him, supporters had expected to accompany Sowore to the correctional facility to ensure transparency regarding his transfer and detention.
“They deceived us by telling us they were taking him to Kuje prison. We wondered why the DSS was involved. It was not as if Sowore was trying to run away. We have been here since morning and were ready to escort him to the prison ourselves,” he said.
The protester maintained that concerns arose because supporters feared they might be unable to ascertain Sowore’s exact location if he was moved outside the correctional system.
“If they are taking Sowore to Kuje, we will escort him and make sure we see him enter Kuje. Baba is very healthy and strong. We don’t want to hear tomorrow that he is sick. The problem is that they kidnapped Sowore. If not for the intervention of Nigerians, comrades and influencers, we would not know where they were taking him,” he added.
The protest followed a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja ordering Sowore’s remand in Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of his application seeking a stay of execution of an earlier order revoking his bail and issuing a bench warrant for his arrest.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar had fixed June 24 for hearing in the matter after dismissing an application seeking his recusal from the case over alleged bias.
