NYSC Member Drags DSS To Court Over Alleged Unlawful Arrest

A member of the National Youth Service Corps(NYSC), Olupona Olusegun Adewale, has dragged the Director of Security Services to court over the alleged unlawful arrest and illegal detention.

Adewale, who is resident in Akure but observing his mandatory one-year NYSC national assignment at A.U.D Secondary school, Ikere, Ekiti State, was arrested on March 24, 2022, and has remained in the DSS custody till date.

In the suit filed by his Counsel, Tope Temokun, Adewale is urging the court to declare that his arrest and subsequent detention was illegal and a violation of his fundamental human right to freedom of movement.

Adewale is asking the court to order the DSS to release him from custody.

He is seeking an order or perpetual restriction against the DSS from arresting of detaining him.

His lawyer said they resorted to file the suit because the DSS prevented access to the detained Corps member and refused to release him.

He said, “Family members of Mr. Olupona were at the DSS facility to find out the reason for his arrest, but they were denied not only access to him but also the opportunity of knowing the reason for his arrest and detention.

“The officer in charge of the case in the DSS office demanded that we write a letter to the director, requesting the director’s consent and approval, before we could have access to see the detainee and in a swift response, by a letter signed and presented dated 28th of March 2022, we made the appropriate formal request as directed, but till date, we did not consent neither the approval of the director for the counsel and the detainee’s mother to see him.

“We have been left with no choice but to approach the Court to challenge this serial lawlessness of the secret police.

“We are not unmindful of the fact that the DSS is answerable and responsible to the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria only. But they should know that the president is an employee and servant of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a company owned constitutionally by the people, the Nigerian people, whose rights and human dignity the DSS have been disrespecting and trampling under feet. Neither the SSS nor the President is above the constitution?”

Officials of the DSS Command in Ondo State could not be reached for comments.

No date has been fixed yet for a hearing in the suit as the courts have embarked on Easter break until April 26.