The activist told the court that he had some information and documents that could be used as evidence in the case he was standing trial.
Human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, protested in an open court over the continued seizure of his mobile phones and gadgets by the lawless Department of State Services (DSS) despite a valid court order.
Sowore, who appeared before Justice Emeka Nwite in a case of defamation and cyber-stalking filed by the FCT Commissioner of Police on behalf of the Ned Nwoko, reminded the court that the secret police had not obeyed the order of the court ordering them to return his mobile phones and gadgets forcefully taken away from him by the operatives of the service when he was abducted from Lagos and taken to Abuja in August 2019.
He said the order was made by Justice Anwuli Chikere on December 8, 2021, when he challenged his unlawful detention by the DSS.
The activist told the court that he had some information and documents that could be used as evidence in the case he was standing trial.
He expressed his disappointment over the way and manner the service had continued to denigrate the integrity of court by violating valid court orders with impunity.
He added that till date, the DSS had neither returned his mobile phones nor paid him the sum of N2million damages as ordered by the court.
He therefore asked Justice Emeka Nwite to take judicial notice of the observation and concerns.
It would be recalled that Sowore instituted a suit against the DSS to compel the agency to return his phones seized when he was first arrested in Lagos State.
The DSS also admitted and told the court that the phones were “recovered” during his arrest. The service claimed that the phones were still being checked for links to terrorism.
Delivering judgment in the suit, Justice Anwuli Chikere the presiding judge had ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to return Sowore’s phones and other gadgets and pay him the sum of N2,000,000 for breach of his fundamental rights.