Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and SaharaReporters publisher Omoyele Sowore has filed a ₦5 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Department of State Services (DSS), its Director-General Tosin Ajayi, DSS Deputy Director Benjamin Bulus and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2480/2026 and filed on October 13, 2026, arises from an alleged assault and forcible removal of Sowore by DSS operatives inside the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 22, 2026.
According to the court processes, the incident occurred after Justice Mohammed Garba Umar ordered Sowore’s remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his application to stay the revocation of his bail and a bench warrant issued against him. Sowore alleges that while he waited for correctional officers to implement the order, armed DSS operatives, including men and women wearing hoods, stormed the fourth floor of the court building.
He claims the operatives physically assaulted him, forcibly removed him from the area and took him against his will to the basement of the court complex using elevators reserved for judges. Sowore says he sustained injuries during the episode. He maintains that the remand order did not authorise assault, forcible removal or degrading treatment within the court premises.
The suit invokes Sections 34 and 35 of the 1999 Constitution, which protect the dignity of the human person and the right to personal liberty. Sowore asks the court to declare the alleged conduct unlawful and unconstitutional, hold that the operatives acted outside the scope of the judicial order, and grant appropriate injunctive and consequential reliefs. He seeks ₦5 billion in aggravated damages for assault, abduction, humiliation, intimidation and alleged rights violations.
A significant element of the case is video footage Sowore says he recorded during the incident using Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The filing states that the recording has been presented for the court’s consideration, subject to rules on admissibility, authenticity and evidential weight. Sowore argues the footage shows the sequence of events and supports his claim that the operation exceeded the authority granted by the remand order.
The suit names Ajayi and Bulus, whom Sowore alleges led the operation, among the respondents, along with the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The action also references an earlier confrontation on December 6, 2019, when DSS operatives attempted to rearrest Sowore during proceedings before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu over treason-related charges linked to the #RevolutionNow protests. That incident led to legal proceedings in which Sowore obtained a judgment awarding damages against the DSS. His counsel, Peter Femi Joseph of FEMJOE & Associates, has stated that the agency has not complied with the monetary award made by Justice Egwuatu in the earlier case.
The current suit remains separate from those proceedings. Sowore maintains that security agencies are bound by the Constitution and cannot rely on national security, executive authority or ongoing judicial processes to justify actions that violate fundamental rights. The Federal High Court is expected to determine the legality of the alleged operation, the responsibilities of the named respondents and the significance of the video evidence.
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