Court, Not Us, Sent Sowore to Prison, DSS Declares
The Department of State Services has distanced itself from the remand of activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore at the Kuje Custodial Centre, insisting that his detention flowed entirely from court proceedings rather than any action by the agency, even as it ordered an investigation into the conduct of operatives filmed during chaotic scenes at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In a statement signed by Deputy Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Favour Dozie, the Service said Director-General Adeola Ajayi had directed a probe into operatives captured in videos from the court on June 22. The agency said it had taken note of public concerns over scenes showing an altercation involving Sowore, a correctional officer and some DSS operatives.
The agency noted that Sowore eventually entered a DSS vehicle rather than one belonging to the Nigerian Correctional Service, but said an immediate investigation had still been ordered.
“From the foregoing, it is clear that the issues which led to the revocation of his bail and his subsequent remand arose entirely from court processes, as the Service neither arrested him nor opposed his bail application,” the statement said.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court ordered Sowore’s remand at Kuje after dismissing his application seeking the judge’s recusal, holding that there was no basis to withdraw from the case.
The judge had on June 16 revoked Sowore’s bail after he failed to appear for trial, granting an oral application by DSS counsel Akinkolu Kehinde, SAN, and issuing a bench warrant. The matter was adjourned to June 24 for hearing of the stay of execution motion filed by his new counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN.
The DSS said the case dates to August 25, 2025, when Sowore made social media posts about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu following remarks attributed to the president during a visit to Brazil. The agency said that “rather than resort to arrest, the Service, in a letter dated 4th September 2025, demanded a retraction within one week,” and later filed charges under Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, 2024, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CR/481/2025.
The charges centre on allegations that Sowore referred to Tinubu as “a criminal” in posts on his X and Facebook accounts.
To support its claim of pursuing disputes through legal channels, the DSS cited the case of Prof. Pat Utomi’s Shadow Government, “subsequently declared unconstitutional,” and referenced reports of alleged invasions of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the National Assembly Complex, in which it said it sought apologies rather than arrests.
The episode echoes Sowore’s longer history of confrontation with the state. His 2019 #RevolutionNow protests led to his arrest and prolonged detention by the DSS, drawing condemnation from rights groups.
The latest remand has again stirred political reaction. Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi described it as “a dangerous regression for democracy,” warning against state institutions being weaponised to stifle dissent. SERAP and the #EndBadGovernance movement separately condemned the detention as a politically motivated prosecution.
The DSS said it would continue to operate “professionally and with civility, even in the face of provocation.”