The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, refused to grant the motion filed by Mr Omoyele Sowore, convener, #RevolutionNow protests, challenging his detention for 45 days by the Department of State Security (DSS).

Justice Nkeonye Maya, who declined all applications by Counsel to Sowore, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), sent the case back to Justice Taiwo Taiwo for further hearing.

Falana, who had asked the court to set aside the exparte order granted by Justice Taiwo, also applied for oral bail when Justice Maha rejected the earlier application.

Sowore, who is presently in detention, had, on August 9, approached the court, seeking an order to vacate the ex parte order that gave the DSS the legal backing to detain him for 45 days.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo had, in a ruling on August 8 in an exparte application, ordered Sowore’s detention for the said period to enable the DSS to carry out and conclude its investigation on allegations levied against him.

The DSS had also, on August 20, challenged the court order, allowing it to detain Sowore for 45 days against its request of 90 days pending investigation.

Sowore, who is the publisher of SaharaReporters and presidential candidate, African Action Congress (AAC) in the Feb. 2019 general elections, was arrested in the early hours of Aug. 4 by the operatives of the DSS in a hotel in Lagos and was later moved to Abuja on Aug. 4.

The DSS said Sowore was arrested on account of the #RevolutionNow protest which he had spearheaded.

However, in a motion on notice, brought pursuant to sections 6 (6) (B), 35 and 36(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, section 293 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and under the jurisdiction of the court, Sowore asked the court to vacate the order on the grounds that the order was made in violation of his full rights.

The motion filed on Aug. 9 by the human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, was predicated on 18 grounds and supported by a 24 paragraphs affidavit deposed to by one Marshall Abubakar.

Mr Falana had, on Aug. 22, stormed Court 10 to seek for a date for the hearing of the application.

The lawyer had expressed displeasure over the court’s delay in hearing the motion.

Meanwhile, Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has asked the Federal Government and the security agencies to stop trying to muzzle Nigerians anytime they come together to exchange ideas.

He stated that such a step could signal fear on the part of government and that such reduces the people and the government itself.

Soyinka spoke in Badagry on Saturday at the unveiling of an art gallery in commemoration of his 85th birthday.

The police, Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services on Monday, (August 18^th, 2019) in Lagos sealed off the venue for a symposium where Soyinka, rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, and others were to speak on the security issues in the country.

Police vehicles were positioned around the venue located at Oregun, Lagos. The programme tagged ‘Democracy, State Repression and the State of Insecurity in Nigeria’, was organised by Coalition for Revolution (CORE).

But speaking on Saturday, Soyinka, who thanked Femi Coker Art Gallery in Badagry for organising the event, said, “It is important to send strong message to this government and to the security services to stop trying to muzzle people when they come together to exchange ideas.

“You’re reducing them as human beings and you’re also reducing yourselves as human beings, because it means you’re afraid to listen.”

Soyinka also cautioned Nigerians not to believe everything they read on social media. He said they should instead take such online materials “with a pinch of salt.

He said, “Be very, very careful what you believe even when you read such materials in social media or sometimes in newspapers because in this country, we have a most fertile multiplier effect.

“When somebody hears something, he puts it on the Internet, it spreads and an industry begins as people start commenting on things which never existed. “Sometimes on social media, you’ll even see trending quotes supposedly from me, with my name, my photograph, with statements which represents what those people want to say but lacked the courage to say it