Human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, has faulted the detention of five youths by the Department of State Services for wearing a #BuhariMustGo T-shirt at Dunamis Gospel Church, Abuja.
The Lagos-based lawyer in an exclusive interview with The PRESS described the arrest and detention of the youths as “despotic and unlawful”.
The PRESS had reported that the youths were arrested by DSS operatives while leaving Dunamis Headquarters, Abuja, on Sunday.
Though the whereabouts of the detained activists were initially unknown, human rights activist Omoyele Sowore quoted Senior Pastor of Dunamis Church, Paul Enenche, as saying that the activists are detained at the DSS headquarters in Asokoro.
“But in this instance, if you are attending a church service, I do not think there is any prescribed uniform that people should wear in churches unless you are a member of a group, like a choir. But as an ordinary worshipper, you have the freedom to appear in any apparel that appeals to you. Whatever inscription you write on your dress should not be a concern to the security agency.
“I don’t think it is proper for security agencies to be trailing worshippers to know the kind of dress that they wear to church. Religion is a private affair under the Nigerian constitution. Government should not be involved in a religious matter, such as to be policing people who go to mosques, churches or shrines.
“Arresting people in the cause of worshipping is actually a violation of their constitutional right. This is because when you arrest anybody, there must be an offence known to law for which they can be tried in any court of law.
“I believe that it is taking Nigeria to a despotic state or a totalitarian entity when security agencies are now policing citizens to know the kind of dress they were to their places of worship. That is taking law enforcement to a despotic level.
“I call on DSS to release them forthwith as there is no reason known to the law that they were being arrested or kept in unlawful custody.”
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