Sowore’s Detention: UK Govt Asks FG To Respect Rule Of Law
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The United Kingdom has said it is closely following the continued detention of Convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore while calling on the Nigerian government to respect the fundamentals for democracy.
Mr. Sowore was rearrested by operatives of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) on Friday at a Federal High Court in Abuja, a situation that has sparked reactions from many.
The British High Commission in Nigeria, in a tweet, called for the respect for the rule of law, stating that the ideals set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights should be upheld.
“As we celebrate #HumanRightsDay, we encourage all political, state and non-state actors to uphold the ideals set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed 71 years ago today.
“We are following closely the continued detention of #Sowore. Respect for the rule of law and free and responsible speech is fundamental for #democracy.
“The UK is committed to defending and strengthening human rights worldwide and, as we conclude #16DaysofActivism2019, working to end gender-based violence.”
The UK is committed to defending and strengthening human rights worldwide and, as we conclude #16DaysofActivism2019, working to end gender-based violence.
— UK in Nigeria🇬🇧 (@UKinNigeria) December 10, 2019
The Federal Government had filed a seven-count bordering on treasonable felony and money laundering against the former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in September.
Mr. Sowore who has been very critical of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, called for a series of planned protests against bad governance in the country in August, tagged #RevolutionNow.
He was however arrested by the DSS in Lagos.
Spokesman of the commission, Peter Afunaya, said that the DSS acted within its constitutional powers to arrest and detain the activist for threatening the unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigeria.
Mr. Afunaya added that the call for revolution poses a national security threat.
The DSS filed an application at the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, to detain Mr. Sowore for 90 days, pending the conclusion of its investigation.
The court however granted the DSS 45 days to detain Mr. Sowore.
