The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on Thursday, asked the State Security Services (DSS) to charge Omoyele Sowore to court if they have anything against him instead of detaining him without trial for 45 days.

The spokesman of the mainstream Yoruba organisation, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the order obtained by the security outfit to detain Sowore without trial runs foul of the Constitution of the country.

According to him, Afenifere viewed with great concern the 45-day detention without trial granted the DSS by a Federal High Court on Omoyele Sowore over his call for a protest on Monday.

Odumakin said: “The order represents a new phase in the orchestrated conscription of the democratic space in Nigeria.

“We are aware of that obnoxious provision in the Terrorism Act, but it can never assume superiority over the Constitution which stipulates that a citizen cannot be detained for more than 48 hours before being charged to court.

“Sowore was arrested before he could commit an offence and the DSS seems to want to go shopping for evidence to prosecute him.

“Having failed to allow him to commit the offence before he was peremptorily arrested, the DSS should free Sowore, or charge him to court, so the judicial process can take its course.

“As it is, he is only being held illegally using the legal process. Our advice to government is that it should understand and act in conformity with the democratic tenets in dealing with the rights of Nigerians.” (New Telegraph)