Pastor Babatunde Whose Church Was Burnt Over Missing Boy, Sues DSS, Demands N100 Million

The founder of the Sotitobire Praising Chapel in Akure, Prophet Alfa Babatunde has dragged the Department of State Services (DSS) before the Federal High Court sitting in Akure over his arrest and detention by the security agency.

KanyiDaily recalls that Prophet Babatunde was arrested by the DSS operatives, following a petition against him about a one-year-old child identified as, Gold Kolawole, who went missing in his church.

On Wednesday morning, December 18, 2019, some irate youths stormed his church, Sotitobire Miracle Centre, and set it ablaze following alleged report by a popular TV station in Akure that Prophet Babatunde confessed that the child was murdered and buried under the church altar.

However, Ondo police asked the general public to disregard the reports as no child was buried or exhumed from Sotitobire church in Akure.

Prophet Babatunde, who has been detained by the DSS for some days, has now filed a suit through his lawyer, Yemi Omoware, which sought the order of the court to release him from the custody of the security agency.

The applicant said his arrest and detention by the DSS were an abuse of the legal process and violation of his fundamental right to freedom of movement.

The respondents in the suit are the DSS, the Director General of the DSS in Ondo State, Mr Emmanuel Anaobi, Mr Isaac Babalola and Mr Remi Oluwalogbon.

Babatunde’s lawyer is seeking an order “directing/compelling the release of the applicant unconditionally from the custody of the respondents.”

The suit is also seeking an order “enforcing the fundamental rights of the applicant to liberty and dignity of the human person, which rights were violated by the respondents.”

The applicant also sought an order restraining the respondents, their agents, servants, subordinates and or any person(s) taking instructions from them whatsoever/whosoever from engaging in any further acts of arrest, detention and violation of his right to liberty and or dignity of human person.

Babatunde is also seeking N100m as aggravated damages against the respondents jointly and severally for the violation of his fundamental human rights.

No date has, however, been fixed for the hearing.