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Some of the protesters, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of further retribution, told SaharaReporters on Tuesday that after their release, they were summoned by the DSS.
Activists who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protests have accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of harassment despite a Federal High Court ruling in Kaduna Judicial Division ordering their release from detention.
Some of the protesters, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of further retribution, told SaharaReporters on Tuesday that after their release, they were summoned by the DSS.
The activists disclosed that the DSS invited them to sign a bond, which would severely restrict their movement and bar them from speaking publicly about their experiences in detention.
"We thought we were finally free after the court discharged us, but the DSS still calls us, insisting we sign this document," one of the activists said. "It feels like they’re trying to silence us even though the court found no reason to hold us.”
However, when the matter came up on Thursday, October 17, 2024, the activists were discharged of all the charges against them.
At the resumed hearing, the DSS prosecutor had applied to withdraw the charges against them.
The activists were initially detained during the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests, which began in August 2024 as a movement against the government’s anti-people policies, corruption, insecurity and unemployment.
One of them said, "Since the judge struck out the case, everything was supposed to end naturally. However, the DSS said we have to come to their office.
“Some of the protesters who were released on bail before us were also called to sign an undertaking that limits their activities.
"They imposed restrictions, like not being allowed to travel, even to Zaria, which is only a few kilometres away from Kaduna, and prohibiting international travel. Basically, you can't go anywhere without getting their permission first."
"When they released us, the treatment we received there made us to naturally fall sick. Immediately after our release, we all landed in medical care facilities, receiving treatment,” one of them said.
One of them, who said he was left traumatized by the experience, questioned why the DSS was still after them even after the court had discharged them.
Another victim said, "Our lawyer has spoken with them regarding when we are supposed to return to the DSS. We are still unwell but our lawyer went there to speak with the DSS legal representative. They were told we could wait until we were well enough to go by ourselves. So, we don't know what will happen next. That's the current situation.
"They insist that we have to go back again. We suspect they want us to sign some undertakings and give up certain rights, like our freedom of movement, going public, and speaking about our dealings with them, our experiences, and what happened there. That’s what we’re suspecting.”
“This is what happened to other people. Some of them were detained after visiting the DSS office. After being invited, they returned and one of them was detained for seven days before being released,” the source added.
When SaharaReporters asked if the court had restricted their movement, they replied, “Nothing like that. As soon as they withdrew their case, the court struck it out immediately.”
“They don’t want us to go public and doing so would put us at greater risk. They have all our details—our addresses, our account numbers, everything. If we speak out, they can easily trace it back to us, even if our names aren’t mentioned in any reports," they added.
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