Court Orders DSS To Pay Journalist Jones Abiri N10.5m

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Department of State Security to pay journalist Jones Abiri N10.5 million compensation over his “illegal detention”.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba ruled on Thursday that the DSS has not denied arresting and detaining Abiri, since July 2016.

The judge also ruled that the Service acted outside the provisions of the law regarding the terrorism prevention act.

Abiri was released on August 16, 2018 after meeting his bail conditions.

The Bayelsa-based journalist and publisher of the Weekly Source Magazine was arrested on July 21, 2016 at his office in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, over an alleged link to armed militancy in the Niger Delta region.

He had since denied the allegation.

Two years after his arrest, he was not charged to court.

He was however charged to court on July 27, 2018, following public outcry.

He was initially granted bail in the sum of N2 million and two sureties who must be civil servants not lower than level 12.

The bail condition was later reviewed following an application by his lawyer, who said the conditions were too strict.