The Centre for Transparency Advocacy has condemned the arrest of Mr Omoyele Sowore by personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) inside the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Convener of #RevolutionNow protest and publisher of Sahara Reporters and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare was set free on Thursday night after spending 126 days in the detention facility of the DSS.
He was, however, re-arrested on Friday at the Court Room where Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu was presiding shortly after adjourning Sowore trial till next February.
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The CTA in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Faith Nwadishi described Sowore’s arrest within the Courtroom as a show of rascality and desecration of the judiciary.
Nwadishi called on the National Assembly to protect the rights of citizens and maintain the sanctity of the judiciary and the courts.
The statement read in part:” The Centre for Transparency Advocacy condemns in totality the sordid and nauseating arrest of Mr Sowore by the personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) inside the Court Room where Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu was presiding. This commando style rascality by the DSS led the Judge, Lawyers and members of the public scampering for their dear lives. This is nothing but a desecration of the hallowed Justice Chamber and a disgrace to Nigeria as a nation. This is a lay back to our hard-fought democracy and a clear slide into full dictatorship and anarchy.
” You may recall that Justice Ojukwu on Thursday 4th of December gave clear ruling ordering the DSS to release Mr Sowore within 24 hours. An order the DSS carried out some hours after same day about 7 pm, November 5 only to march back inside a CourtRoom to re-arrest Sowore today Friday 6 November.
”CTA, therefore, calls all men and women of goodwill and Nigerians to come together not only in condemning this uncalled-for act by the DSS but to call on the government and the National Assembly to protect the rights of citizens and maintain the sanctity of the judiciary and the courts. The DSS must be called to order now before it turns into a monster that may consume all of us.”