The Department of State Services (DSS) has challenged the Federal High Court order, allowing it to detain Omoyele Sowore, Convener, #RevolutionNow protests, for 45 days against its request of 90 days pending investigation.
The DSS argued that its investigation so far revealed that “RevolutionNow” was allegedly a smokescreen for the actual intention of Mr Sowore and his allies “to topple the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
In a counter-affidavit deposed to by Godwin Agbadua, an official of the DSS and filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos, it said it was engaged in a painstaking investigation of activities of Mr Sowore, the candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the last presidential election, in view of the quantum of evidence so far gathered and may return to court to seek an extension of the 45 days granted by the Abuja-based court to detain him, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
In the counter-affidavit deposed to by Godwin Agbadua, an official of the SSS, it was stated that Mr Sowore was arrested on reasonable suspicion of having committed a capital offence, upon his alleged involvement in terrorists’ activities.
“The respondent/applicant (Sowore) planned to violently change the government through the hashtag RevolutionNow.
“The respondent/appllcant hid under the cover of call for mass protest with the hashtag RevolutionNow to mislead unsuspecting and innocent members of the public into joining him to topple the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
“In his plot to topple the government the respondent/applicant held series of meetings with members at a prescribed terrorist organisation, Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) with a view to mobilising strong forces to realise his agenda at changing the government
“The investigation is still ongoing. Upon the completion of investigation, the case file will be forwarded to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation for advice and possible prosecution,” DSS alleged.
(NAN)