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Finally, DSS frees BuhariMustGo activists 29 days after

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DSS releases #BuhariMustGo activists arrested at Dunamis Church,



BuhariMustGo activists who were detained for 29 days by the Department of States Services after their arrest in Dunamis International Worship Centre, Abuja, on July 4, 2021, have been released.

They were released on August 3, 2021.

Amnesty International disclosed this on August 6, 2021, in a statement titled “Activists jailed for anti-president T-shirt freed’ published on their website.

 The statement read, “Activists, Larry Emmanuel, Anene Victor Udoka, Samuel Gabriel, Henry Nwodo, and Ben Mannaseh, who had been arbitrarily detained in connection to their peaceful activism, have been released on bail.

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“On 4 July, they attended a church service at the Dunamis International Gospel Center in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, when they were arrested and beaten by the Center’s security unit for wearing #BuhariMustGo T-shirts. On 29 July they were charged with ‘constituting themselves as vagabonds’ to disturb public peace. Amnesty International believes the charges to be baseless and in connection to the activists’ peaceful expression of their dissenting views.

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“On 3 August, Nigerian authorities released activists Larry Emmanuel, Anene Victor Udoka, Samuel Gabriel, Henry Nwodo, and Ben Mannaseh (also known as ‘the Dunamis5’) after spending 29 days in the custody of Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS). On 26 July, a Federal High Court issued an order that the activists be released but the DSS disregarded it and kept them in custody.”

The Federal High Court

Recall that the Federal High Court had ordered the Department of State Services to release five worshipers who were arrested at Dunamis International Gospel Centre on July 4, 2021, for allegedly wearing t-shirts with inciting inscriptions.

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The suits were marked FHC/ABJ/CS/631/2021, FHC/ABJ/CS/636/2021, FHC/ABJ/CS/637/2021, FHC/ABJ/CS/638/2021 and FHC/ABJ/CS/639/2021.

Justice Anwuli Chikere gave the order following separate ex parte applications filed on their behalf by their lawyer, Mr Tope Temokun.

Justice Chikere ordered that the DSS should release the applicants with immediate effect on July 26, 2021

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