Anita Ogona
An official memo from the Department of State Services (DSS) ordering the arrest of a presidential candidate in the 2019 and 2023 general elections, Omoyele Sowore, upon his return to Nigeria, has been leaked.
According to the memo, signed by a DSS official, Adeola D. Ali, under the directive of the newly appointed Director General of the DSS, Adeola Ajayi, cites Sowore’s involvement in the recent 10-day #EndBadGovernance protests.
It should be recalled that the protests, which called for widespread reforms and the end of bad governance, were met with backlash from security agencies.
Involvement of Sowore, founder of Sahara Reporters who contested for the presidential seat in the 2019 and 2023 general elections in the protests put him in the arrest list.
The newly surfaced memo confirms the directive and offers further insight into the level of surveillance being employed by the Nigerian secret police.
The memo, marked “DSE: 94/6203 X WATCHLIST ACTION,” includes the plan for Sowore’s detainment and includes instructions for airport security.
,,,,, It states, “The DGSS has approved the upgrading of WLA ‘B’ (Report arrival and destination by telephone immediately) to WLA ‘F’ (Detain traveller and escort with baggage to NHSS) against Omoyele Sowore, an activist/founder of Sahara Reporters Inc., an online news agency.”
The DSS memo explicitly calls for Sowore’s immediate detention and the confiscation of his baggage upon his arrival in Nigeria
However, in his reaction, the human rights activist wrote: “Meanwhile, the lawless @OfficialDSSNG has upgraded my status and name on their “watchlist” for arrest upon arrival in Nigeria.
“It is imperative to recognize that our country Nigeria requires salvation and our people need liberation, which will necessitate considerable effort. I intend to return home shortly, I mean VERY SOON.”
Sowore also added that nothing can stop the fresh #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria scheduled for October 1, 2024.
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