PUBLISHER of Sahara Reporters, activist and presidential candidate of AAC in the 2019 general elections, Mr Omoyele Sowore, has dragged the Nigeria Police before the Federal High Court, Abuja where he filed two rights enforcement suits.
Mr Sowore, who is also the Co-Convener of Revolution Now movement, is asking for N50 million damages and a public apology from the police in each of the suits, making his claims for damages a total of N100 million.
In the matter filed through his lawyer, Mr Tope Temokun, Mr Sowore is demanding the monetary damages as compensation for various alleged violations of his rights at different times in Abuja last year.
In one of the suits marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1238/2021, Mr Sowore alleged that he was shot at by a chief superintendent of police, Altine Daniel, during a peaceful rally at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, on May 31, 2021. In the second suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1239/2021, he is seeking a redress for being illegally arrested, harassed, brutalised, and subjected to degrading treatments, around the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 26, 2021.
Apart from manhandling him, Mr Sowore said the police prevented him from witnessing and reporting the day’s court proceedings in cases involving the leader of the proscribed leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) and five youth activists who were earlier arrested on July 4, 2021 by the State Security Service (SSS).
The five youths were arrested at Dunamis International Gospel Centre by the SSS for wearing T-shirts with ‘Buhari-Must-Go’ inscription to the church.
In the separate supporting affidavits he filed along with the suits, Sowore alleged that his rights were violated when he was shot at by Ms Daniel, during “a sensitisation rally” on May 31, 2021 at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, preparatory to last year’s June 12 anniversary. He recalled that there had been previous encounters with Ms Daniel when she allegedly threatened to kill him on different occasions prior to the day of the rally.
He said on his arrival at the rally ground to exercise his constitutional rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association, police officers besieged the venue to prevent the gathering and stop him from addressing the demonstrators. He said following the police invasion, Ms Daniel shot at him “at close range with a federal riot gun with a projectile”.
“That the shot tore my thigh and I lost my balance and fell and was carried by courageous citizens at the scene to the hospital,” Sowore said.
In the other case, Sowore stated that his right was violated by the police at the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 26, 2021 where he had visited to witness the proceedings in the case of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and that of five Nigerian youths who were arrested for wearing T-shirts with ‘Buhari Must Go’ inscriptions. He said he was denied access and arrested at the court gate.
“I was taken forcefully to be detained at the Federal Secretariat Police Station, Abuja, by police officers in furtherance of the instructions and purpose to deny me access into the court that day, even while some other citizens and journalists were granted free access into the court,” Mr Sowore stated.
He added that he was brutalised, subjected to beatings, humiliated and was eventually bundled into a police vehicle in violation of his rights.
In the first suit, the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police in the FCT, and Ms Daniel are the defendants while in the second suit, the Nigeria Police Force, the IGP, and the FCT police commissioner, as well as the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) are the defendants.
