A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has condemned the re-arrest of Omoyele Sowore, convener of RevolutionNow Movement.
DAILY POST had reported that DSS operatives on Friday chased out lawyers from the courtroom and attacked journalists after which they re-arrested Sowore.
Following the invasion of the courtroom, the trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu adjourned the matter till February 11, 12 and 13, 2020 for definite hearing.
They had earlier attempted to re-arrest Sowore but were prevented by those around.
This is coming less than a day after Sowore was released by the DSS after an Abuja Federal High Court ordered for his release within 24 hours.
Reacting to the development, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement on Friday, said that the desecration of the Temple of Justice is an affront on the principle of rule of law and a desecration of the Nigerian Constitution.
The Rights group also challenged all Nigerians to wake up and smell the coffee before Nigeria’s democracy collapses.
“What took place at the premises of the Federal High Court could be likened to a scene in the Nollywood movie but unfortunately it was in real life and beamed to millions of people in the World because as seen and witnessed by Millions of Nigerians including video evidence circulated from the venue of the show of shame by the DSS at the Federal High Court Abuja it emerged that as at the time of the attempt to re-arrest him (Sowore), police, journalists and others present in court threw themselves on Sowore, thereby preventing the heavily armed security personnel from picking him up just as Sowore could be seen on the floor inside the courtroom saying, “They have surrounded the place.
“We will sleep here today just before the DSS reportedly invaded the court room and chased away the judge reportedly and whisked away the Nigerian citizen SOWORE who is on bail. It is tragic that this coup against democracy by the DSS is coming less than a day after he was released by the DSS after an Abuja Federal High Court ordered for his release within 24 hours. Recall that Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu also ordered the DSS to pay the sum of N100, 000 to Sowore, for refusing to release him on bail despite two court orders to that effect and the judge consequently adjourned the trial of the case brought against them by the Nigerian Government until December 6 for continuation.
“This gross human rights abuse of the human rights of Mr. Sowore started long ago even as he has been in custody of the DSS after the political activist was arrested for allegedly calling for a civil mass action to change the bad tides afflicting democracy in Nigeria and he has been in detention for over 3 months. Nigerians must see this as a violation of the SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND DEMANDING MASS ACTION UNDER THE BOUNDS OF THE LAW as allowed by the Constitution to show national sense of outrage and righteous indignation,” the group said.
HURIWA has therefore urged Nigerians to speak out and defend democracy before it is late.
“We condemn this brazen display of executive and security rascality by the DSS and we believe that only Nigerians with the help of world leaders can save democracy from the imminent death.”
