Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has filed a ₦5 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Department of State Services (DSS) over an alleged assault and forcible removal from the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2480/2026, was filed on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, against the DSS, its Director-General, Tosin Ajayi, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, and a deputy director of the security agency, Benjamin Bulus.
Sowore alleged that DSS operatives assaulted him and forcibly removed him from the court premises on June 22, 2026, despite a subsisting court order directing that he be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
He said the incident occurred after Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered his remand 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 Sowore, armed DSS operatives, including hooded male and female officers, stormed the fourth floor of the court building while he was waiting for correctional officers to arrive and execute the remand order.
He claimed that the operatives physically assaulted him, forcibly removed him from the area and took him against his will to the basement of the court complex through elevators reserved for Federal High Court judges. He said the incident left him with physical injuries.
The activist maintained that the remand order did not authorise the security operatives to assault him, remove him forcibly or subject him to degrading treatment within the court premises.
Through the suit, Sowore is asking the court to determine whether the DSS operatives acted beyond the scope of the judicial order and whether their alleged conduct violated his fundamental rights.
He is seeking ₦5 billion in aggravated damages over the alleged violation of his constitutional rights to dignity and personal liberty.
A key aspect of the case is video footage reportedly recorded during the incident using Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.
According to the court documents, Sowore intends to rely on the footage as evidence to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault and the conduct of the security operatives involved.
