Blind Saxophonist Arrested In Dunamis Church Falls Sick In DSS Custody, Denied Access To Doctors

Samuel Gabriel Iwatonaiye

According to SaharaReporters, Samuel Gabriel Iwatonaiye, a visually impaired saxophonist, who was arrested by the Department of State Services on the orders of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Abuja, for wearing the #BuhariMustGo T-shirt is "now seriously sick" in detention.

The DSS had arrested five human rights activists who wore the #BuhariMustGo T-Shirts during a Sunday service in the church, including the blind saxophonist and had refused them access to their family members.

The victims are; Ben Manasseh, Emmanuel Larry, Samuel Gabriel, Anene Victor Udoka, and Henry Nwodo.

SaharaReporters learnt on Saturday that the saxophonist was denied access to doctors or drugs by the secret police detectives as his condition continued to deteriorate in the cell.

“He was not born blind. He became blind as a result of untreated glaucoma. The DSS has denied their lawyers, family and doctors access to them since their arrest. The saxophonist is seriously ill.”

SaharaReporters had reported that the DSS operatives admitted that it was the Dunamis church which called for the arrest of the human rights activists who wore the #BuhariMustGo T-Shirts to its church service.

The worshippers had been harassed and manhandled by the DSS officials.

Human rights’ activists, Omoyele Sowore and Deji Adeyanju, had met with the Senior Pastor, Paul Enenche, over the arrest of six activists.
Speaking on the matter, Sowore had said, “We are adults and if we are tired of the system and we say the system must collapse, it is our right to express ourselves freely. I told the pastor when he said he was not happy when the activists were trying to protest within the premises that with the way things are going on, more and more people will be wearing #BuhariMustGo T-shirts to the church because people are tired of Buhari regime.

"We have a respectable agreement and some disagreements over this issue but what is important to me and why I don't want to drag this for too long is the release of these individuals from detention.

"We are going to wait till evening because we requested that they should be released today (Monday). Nobody knows their whereabouts. We don't know whether they have been fed or they have been tortured.”

SaharaReporters had on July 9 reported that the five activists dragged the church and the DSS to court over their illegal, arrest, detention and violation of their human rights.

SaharaReporters had obtained the court papers filed by the activists with the respondents as; the State Security Service, the Director-General of the SSS, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Pastor-in-charge of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Pastor Paul Enenche.

The suit is being heard at the Federal High Court of Nigeria; Abuja judicial division.