Five out of the 10 activists detained by the SSS after being turned in by Paul Enenche, senior pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, have sued the SSS and Mr Enenche for rights violation.

Documents seen by Peoples Gazette show that Ben Manasseh, Samuel Gabriel, Emmanuel Larry, Anene Udoka, and Henry Nwodo had initiated suits at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.

In a suit filed separately by the five activists (FHC/ABJ/CS/639/2021, FHC/ABJ/CS/ 637/2021,

FHC/ABJ/CS/631/2021, FHC/ABJCS/636/2021, FHC/ABJ/CS/638/2021), before the court, the activists are seeking the “enforcement of fundamental rights to freedoms of thought, conscience, and religion, right to freedom of expression and the press, right to freedom from discrimination and right to personal liberty.”

On Sunday, Mr Enenche had turned in some of his congregants to the SSS for wearing shirts bearing #BuhariMustGo inscriptions to Sunday service.

The congregants were first apprehended by the church’s security agents, who handed them over to the SSS operatives. The incident came to light after another activist, Omoyele Sowore, commented on Twitter.

Mr Sowore had tweeted that the 10 activists detained had been first-time worshippers. They had gone to service in their #BuhariMustGo T-Shirts but arrested by the church security after answering the altar call.

Meanwhile, the church has refuted reports it handed over the activists to SSS.

“We wish to state categorically that Dunamis International Gospel Centre has no hands in the arrest and detention of the said youths as they were arrested outside the premises of the church.

“The church has no right to arrest and detain people and has no detention custody. The right of arrest and detention resides with government security agencies. Acting in their line of duty, the DSS officials arrested the protesters,” the church statement claimed.