The five youths were arrested by the church's security unit for wearing #BuhariMustGo T-shirts, tortured and handed over to the Department of State Services, which has detained them since then.
Family members of five youths arrested last Sunday at Dunamis International Gospel Centre (Glory Dome), Abuja will be holding a protest today (Sunday) at the church.
The five youths were arrested by the church's security unit for wearing #BuhariMustGo T-shirts, tortured and handed over to the Department of State Services, which has detained them since then.
SaharaReporters learnt that the protesters would converge at 7am for the protest.
"#FreeDunamis5: Family members of 5 youths arrested/tortured by Dunamis Church Security and handed over to lawless Nigerian secret police, aka DSS and their friends and Comrades will be holding a protest at Dunamis Church tomorrow!
Venue: The Dunamis Dome at Lugbe, Abuja and convergence time is 7am," a source said.
Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, had stated that the church ought to be worried and lead a protest against injustice over the illegal detention of the five #BuhariMustGo protesters arrested on the church premises by DSS officials if the church was indeed not involved in their arrest.
He said this because the church had been denying that it was involved in the travails of the activists, claiming the DSS carried out the arrest.
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Sowore on Friday added that the Senior Pastor of the church, Dr Paul Enenche, ought to have instructed the over 50,000 church members to storm the DSS headquarters on Sunday and let them hold the church services there in protest over the five detained members.
The human rights activist stated these while addressing journalists at a press conference in Abuja on #FreeDunamis5.
Sowore said, “We are here to inform all Nigerians that Nigeria is no longer a democratic nation. It has become a Banana republic being governed by iron fist. We have a despot in government and he is Muhammadu Buhari and they are making no pretence about it.
“It is very despicable that the church has colluded with the Nigerian state to hand over innocent protesters to the lawless state security service that styled itself as DSS. There is no entity known to the law as DSS.
“So, we have met with the pastors and I discovered that he (Pastor Enenche) was playing games with us. He lied and I am emphasing it. He lied that his church members were not involved, but we have ample evidence that they were involved. They physically brutalised these protesters.
“I have heard some ask whether they should have gone with this T-shirt, the question is; if they had gone to church with T-shirt such as 'I stand with Buhari' or 'Buhari must stay', would you beat them up?
“And I have also heard some people who are saying that; why don’t they go to mosque? I think this is also a way of demonising Islam to say that if you go to mosque and fight against oppression, the members must beat you up. I have seen a lot of Muslims fight against oppression. The Shiites are fighting against oppression; everyone in this country is tired of the Buhari regime. And they are at liberty to wear whatever they like to church or mosque.
“The church should be a refuge for the oppressed. The church should be worried that there are DSS operatives around them willing to pounce on innocent people for no reason. What I had expected the church to do is to issue a condemnation.
“It should not be we who are planning to protest at the church. The church should have relocated to DSS on Sunday and had its service there and let’s see if the DSS can withstand that kind of power. They have over 50,000 members. If I was Pastor Enenche and I am not feeling guilty of violation of rights, I will ask my church members to let us worship at the DSS headquarters. But they are not interested in that.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the #BuhariMustGo protesters had dragged the church and the DSS to court over the illegal, arrest, detention and violation of their human rights.
SaharaReporters had obtained the court papers filed by the activists, bearing their names; Ben Manasseh, Emmanuel Larry, Samuel Gabriel, Anene Victor Udoka, and Henry Nwodo as the applicants.
The respondents are: the State Security Service, the Director-General of the SSS, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Pastor-in-charge of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Pastor Paul Enenche.
The suit is being heard at the Federal High Court of Nigeria; Abuja judicial division.