Sowore Sues DSS DG, AGF Over Alleged Court Attack

Human rights activist, journalist and SaharaReporters publisher Omoyele Sowore has filed a N5 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Department of State Services (DSS), its Director-General, Tosin Ajayi, the Attorney-General of the Federation and a DSS Deputy Director, Benjamin Bulus, over an alleged assault and abduction at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The suit, filed on October 13, 2026, and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2480/2026, challenges the legality of the DSS operation on June 22, 2026. Sowore is seeking judicial redress for alleged violations of his constitutional rights to human dignity and personal liberty.

According to the court documents, DSS operatives allegedly attacked Sowore within the court complex and forcibly moved him to the basement of the building against his will, injuring him in the process.

Sowore alleges assault inside court

On June 22, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered Sowore’s remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of his application seeking a stay of the order revoking his bail and the bench warrant issued against him.

According to the court filings, Sowore was waiting for correctional officers to arrive and implement the remand order when armed DSS operatives, including men and women wearing hoods, entered the fourth floor of the court building.

The operatives allegedly assaulted him, forcibly removed him from the area and transported him against his will to the basement using elevators reserved for Federal High Court judges.

Sowore maintains that he had committed no offence warranting such an operation and that the DSS had no lawful authority to assault, abduct, intimidate or subject him to degrading treatment within the premises of a court.

He further alleges that the operation was intended to intimidate and harm him, despite the existence of a judicial order specifying the lawful process for his remand.

The suit identifies Ajayi and Bulus as respondents, with Bulus alleged to have led the operation.

Sowore relies on smart-glasses footage

The suit also relies on video footage reportedly captured using Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses during the incident.

According to the court filings, the recording is intended to establish the circumstances of the alleged attack, the conduct of the operatives involved and the sequence of events within the court premises.

The footage has been presented for the court’s consideration, subject to the applicable rules on admissibility, authenticity and evidential weight.

Sowore maintains that the recording provides visual evidence supporting his claim that the operation was neither authorised by the remand order nor consistent with constitutional protections.

Suit alleges violation of fundamental rights

The suit invokes Sections 34 and 35 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which guarantee the rights to dignity of the human person and personal liberty.

Sowore argues that the alleged physical assault, forcible removal, intimidation and detention violated these fundamental rights.

He is asking the Federal High Court to determine whether the DSS operatives acted unlawfully, exceeded the authority granted by the relevant judicial orders and subjected him to unconstitutional treatment.

The action also seeks to establish the respective legal responsibilities of the DSS, its director-general, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Bulus for the alleged misconduct.

Sowore maintains that a judicial remand order does not authorise security operatives to assault, intimidate or abduct a defendant within a court complex.

Sowore demands N5 billion in damages

Among the reliefs sought, Sowore is asking the Federal High Court to award him N5 billion in aggravated damages over the alleged assault, abduction, humiliation, intimidation and infringement of his constitutionally protected rights.

He is also seeking declarations on the alleged unlawfulness of the conduct, appropriate injunctive and consequential orders, and any further relief the court considers justified.

The applicant argues that the alleged conduct represents an abuse of state power, particularly because it occurred within a Federal High Court complex, where citizens should be protected by the authority and dignity of the judicial process.

The claims remain allegations before the court, and no determination of liability has been made in the case.

Sowore recalls 2019 incident at Federal High Court

This is not the first time Sowore has accused DSS operatives of attempting to forcibly remove him from the premises of the Federal High Court.

On December 6, 2019, DSS operatives attempted to rearrest him at the Federal High Court in Abuja during proceedings before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu over treason-related charges brought against him following the #RevolutionNow protests.

The incident attracted widespread public condemnation and led to a parliamentary inquiry into the conduct of security operatives within judicial premises.

Sowore subsequently instituted legal proceedings against the DSS and obtained a judgment awarding damages against the agency.

According to Sowore, the DSS has failed to comply with the monetary award made by Justice Egwuatu.

The latest suit seeks to challenge the conduct of security operatives within court premises, raise questions about the enforcement of fundamental rights judgments and demand accountability from federal security agencies.

Sowore says no agency is above the Constitution

Sowore maintains that security agencies are bound by the Constitution and cannot rely on national security, executive authority or judicial proceedings to justify actions that violate fundamental rights.

The suit was filed by his counsel, Peter Femi Joseph of FEMJOE & Associates.