Sowore stated while reminiscing about the moments he shared with some of his close allies in a post on his social media platforms. He recalled how officers of the DSS (also known as State Security Service -SSS) were attached to him to always follow him around, even when he was carrying out official assignments.
#RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore has narrated how operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) subjected him to cruel treatment while undergoing the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in Adamawa State in 1996.
Sowore stated while reminiscing about the moments he shared with some of his close allies in a post on his social media platforms. He recalled how officers of the DSS (also known as State Security Service -SSS) were attached to him to always follow him around, even when he was carrying out official assignments.
He added that he was eventually arrested on his passing-out day and detained for a week.
According to him, he was denied his certificate of service despite serving at Adamawa Television (ATV).
He said, “These photos were taken during my National Youth Service Corps - NYSC - service year at Yola in Adamawa State-circa 1996, I was engaged as a reporter to produce "NYSC week" at Adamawa Television (ATV), Yola.
“That was my place of primary assignment. One day, I was asked to go over and cover the orientation of new corps members at the @nysc orientation camp, Yola, as they were being sent to their places of primary assignment.
“It was a very tense assignment because the DSS followed me everywhere; on this day, I met several former Nigerian students excited to see me in the "service" of my father's land. One of them from UNILAG, a bosom friend Mr. B of Henry Carr (as he was fondly called), Olaniyan Abiodun D. J was too happy to reunite, and we stuck together throughout the ceremony.
“I explained to him that my life was being cruelly monitored, so I was surprised when I never heard from him again in Yola. He reached out today with these never-before-seen photos we took during the momentous day, but guess what?
“The NYSC authorities punished him by posting him far away from Yola; he was assigned to Ganye because they said keeping him close to me in Yola would cause violence! The story of my NYSC service year from orientation camp to Passing-Out-Parade was a story that would be told some day-another day. It is a movie grade-level story like many others.”
Recalling his arrest and withholding of his discharge certificate, the candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections said, “Note: I was later thrown out of ATV, Yola, arrested during my Passing-Out-Parade by @OfficialDSSNG who then transferred me to the @NigAirForce guardroom, where I languished in detention for a week before I was released but never given my ‘Discharge Certificate.’
“I sued the @officialnyscng (with the help of @Femi Falana, SAN he assigned Jiti Ogunye to prosecute the case, and he did so diligently) upon my release from detention but they came to court to argue that I have no recourse in a court of law.
“I recently heard from the Nigerian lawyer who prosecuted my case for the government. He swore that he tried to “help me.” He recently retired from the NYSC!”
On August 3, 2019, Sowore was arrested by the DSS for alleged treason after calling for a protest tagged RevolutionNow during the regime of Muhammadu Buhari.
He was arrested again and assaulted during a protest in Abuja on January 1, 2021. Also on May 31, 2021, the activist was injured by a police officer during a protest in Abuja.