The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday has ordered the immediate release of phones belonging to human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, held by State Security Service (SSS).
Mr Sowore who was arrested on August 2, 2019 over allegations bordering on treasonable felony, has had his phones confiscated for the past two years despite his release from SSS detention.
Justice I.A Chikere in a ruling on Wednesday, ordered the SSS to release the confiscated phones while awarding the sum of N2 million as compensation to be paid to the plaintiff.
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Mr Sowore had instituted a lawsuit against the SSS and demanded compensation for the gross violation of his fundamental human rights .
The secret police claimed it was still tracking Mr Sowore ‘s ties to terrorism via the seized personal belongings including his phones and money.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sowore, through his lawyer, Funmi Falana (SAN), in a fundamental rights enforcement suit, had alleged that the operatives of the DSS, on August 3, 2019, at a hotel in Lagos, forcefully took away his iPhones and N10,000 when he was arrested for alleged treasonable felony and terrorism.
The judge ordered the DSS, the first respondent in the case, to also tender an apology in two national dailies within two months.
Justice Chikere described the forceful seizure of the personal property of the publisher of Sahara Reporters as “illegal, unconstitutional, null and void and gross violation of his fundamental rights, as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution”.
©ControlTV2021.
