In a statement issued on Monday, Amnesty International said the attack on Sowore and his loyalists within the premises of a court amounted to contempt and should be allowed to go unpunished.
Global human rights body, the Amnesty International has asked the authorities of the Department of State Security State (DSS) to punish its operatives who attacked human rights advocate, Omoyele Sowore and his supporters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.
In a statement issued on Monday, Amnesty International said the attack on Sowore and his loyalists within the premises of a court amounted to contempt and should be allowed to go unpunished.
The organisation wrote: “Amnesty International condemns the Department of State Services (DSS) for assaulting human rights defender Omoyele Sowore today — in yet another show of contempt for human rights.
Amnesty International condemns the Department of State Services (DSS) for assaulting human rights defender Omoyele Sowore @YeleSowore today — in yet another show of contempt for human rights.
— Amnesty International Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) February 26, 2024
“Sowore along with some people were attacked while on their way to the Federal High Court in Abuja to collect the certified true copy of his treasonable felony case recently thrown out by the court.
“Apart from denying the activist entry into the court, one of his mobile phones was collected and seized by the DSS personnel. The DSS must promptly investigate this incident and immediately return Sowore’s mobile phone. The personnel suspected of perpetrating this impunity must be held to account.”
https://x.com/AmnestyNigeria/s
SaharaReporters earlier reported how Sowore was attacked by personnel of Nigeria’s secret police, Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday.
The activist along with some people with him was attacked while on his way to the Federal High Court in Abuja to collect the certified true copy of his treasonable felony case recently thrown out by the court.
SaharaReporters learnt that the activist was denied entry to the court while one of his mobile phones was collected and seized by the DSS personnel.
Some of the people with him were also assaulted and slapped by the lawless DSS personnel.
In a video posted on his Facebook, Sowore was heard arguing with one of the DSS personnel who threatened to seize another phone if it was used to record the incident.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had also condemned the attack and demanded for immediate release of the phones and other valuable properties seized by DSS from Sowore and his supporters.