Sowore rubbishes DSS claims he took money in Dubai pointing out that he has never been there before

FORMER presidential aspirant Omoyele Sowore has rubbished claims by the Department of State Services (DSS) that he met several times with foreign collaborators in Dubai pointing out that he has never been to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before.

Earlier this month, men of the SSS picked up Mr Sowore in Lagos as he was planning to organise a series of nationwide demonstrations under the banner #RevolutionNow. He has since been moved to their headquarters in Abuja and the federal government asked for a court order to detain him for 90 days but this request was denied by the Abuja Federal High Court, only allowing the SSS to detain him for 45 days.

This afternoon, an Abuja high court dismissed an application challenging Sowore’s detention after Justice Evelyn Maha said hearing the application would mean reviewing the court order directing the DSS. In her ruling, the judge said the motion filed by Mr Sowore through Femi Falana, his lawyer, cannot be granted as the matter is already before another judge who granted the initial ex-parte order.

Rubbishing claims made against him by the DSS that he was planning to overthrow the government, Mr Sowore debunked the agency’s allegation that he received millions of dollars from the alleged collaborators at the meetings to sponsor widespread attacks across Nigeria. He added that contrary to the DSS’s claims, he had never visited Dubai or any of the UAE cities.

Mr Sowore said he had never received any money from any person or organisations for the purpose of toppling government, adding that had willingly provided his local and foreign banks’ account details to the DSS.  He also said he never planned a coup as claimed by the DSS but only mobilised Nigerians to address the crises of corruption, maladministration, mismanagement of the economy and insecurity.

Marshall Abubakar of Femi Falana’s law firm who presented the case on court, said Mr Sowore never planned a coup, but mobilised the Nigerian people including students, youths, workers, market women and other oppressed people to influence the federal government, the 36 state governments and 774 local governments to address the crises of corruption and insecurity.