Meliga Godwin, a human rights activist, has filed a lawsuit against the Department of State Service (DSS) and its Director General in Abuja over detention.
According to information obtained by WITHIN NIGERIA, Godwin was detained by the DSS after giving a press conference during which he denounced the planned arrest of Godwin Emefiele, the governor of the central bank.
In a press conference on December 19, 2022, Godwin, the president of the Middle Belt Youth Forum, criticized the DSS for attempting to obtain an ex-parte order to arrest and detain the CBN Governor.
He was subsequently detained on January 8, 2023, by DSS agents.
However, the applicant requested the court to order his unconditional release by the DSS in a motion on notice for the enforcement of his fundamental rights filed by his attorney, Chibuzo Ezike, under the case number FCT/HC/CV/1034/2023.
In a courtroom interview with a reporter, one of the attorneys for the plaintiff, Okere Kingdom, stated that his client has not been permitted to host any visitors since his arrest.
The applicant asked the court to order the DSS and its Director General to pay him N500 million in damages and issue a public apology in two national dailies for his wrongful arrest and detention. He also asked the court to order his release from detention.
In addition, he requested that the court rule that his arrest and detention from January 8, 2023, until the time of filing the lawsuit were a violation of his fundamental rights, were unconstitutional, and had no further bearing.