FURTHER ATTEMPT BY DSS TO ILLEGALLY SEIZE SOWORE WILL BE MET WITH THE OCCUPATION OF DSS HEADQUARTERS IN ABUJA AND LAGOS

PRESS STATEMENT

FURTHER ATTEMPT BY DSS TO ILLEGALLY SEIZE SOWORE WILL BE MET WITH THE OCCUPATION OF DSS HEADQUARTERS IN ABUJA AND LAGOS

The Take It Back Movement issues this unequivocal warning to the Department of State Services (DSS): should there be any repeat of the disgraceful and unlawful attempt to secretly seize and whisk away Omoyele Sowore under the cover of state authority, we will mobilise mass demonstrations, including the occupation of DSS headquarters in Abuja and Lagos, until those responsible are held accountable.

What transpired at the Federal High Court premises on Monday was a brazen display of state rascality. The conduct of the DSS raises serious questions about its priorities. At a time when Nigerians are being kidnapped daily, communities are under attack, armed groups continue to terrorise rural populations, and insecurity has reached alarming levels across the country, the nation’s security agencies appear more interested in pursuing activists, critics of government, journalists, and opposition figures than confronting the genuine threats facing the country.

The same security apparatus that have seems helpless in the face of mass abductions, killings, banditry, and terrorist attacks somehow finds unlimited resources when it comes to harassing government critics. This distortion of priorities exposes a dangerous reality: security institutions are increasingly being deployed not for the protection of citizens but for the protection of political power.

It is even more alarming that the target of this latest act of intimidation is not a criminal suspect but a prominent activist, a presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), and outspoken advocate for justice. The continued persecution of Omoyele Sowore for exercising constitutionally guaranteed rights to free expression, political participation, and dissent reveals the growing intolerance of the current administration toward criticism and opposition.

We reject the remand of Sowore and condemn the broader pattern of judicial and security harassment directed at Sowore by the government of Tinubu. A society that criminalises dissent while rewarding impunity cannot claim to be democratic.

The Take It Back Movement therefore places the DSS and all relevant authorities on notice: any future attempt to illegally detain, disappear, secretly transfer, or otherwise violate the rights of Omoyele Sowore or any activist will trigger mass across the country. Should such acts recur, we shall occupy DSS headquarters in Abuja and Lagos.

Nigeria is not a police state. The rights of citizens are guaranteed by the Constitution and cannot be suspended at the whims of security agencies. No institution is above the law, and no government can extinguish the people’s demand for justice, accountability, security, and genuine democracy through intimidation.

We call on civil society organisations, democratic organisations, and all conscientious Nigerians to remain vigilant. The struggle to reclaim our country from repression, insecurity, corruption, and authoritarianism must continue.

Signed:
Juwon Sanyaolu
National Coordinator
Take It Back Movement