A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to pay Mr. Jones Abiri, the sum of N10 million being damages for his illegal detention.

Abiri, a Bayelsa-based journalists and publisher of online portal, crackreporers.com and Weekly Source newspaper was detained illegally for two years, after a trump up accusation by the DSS of involvement in militancy.

After gross violation of his constitutional rights he was however arraigned in July following widespread condemnation and released on bail.

Ruling on the application by Abiri that he should be paid the sum of N200 million as compensation for the illegal detention and torture, the court condemned in totality the action of the DSS.

It therefore ordered that the sum of N10 million should be paid to the journalist.

In his ruling, Dimgba said his detention for two years was equal in effect to a conviction which was wrong.

He explained that the government should have arraigned him and prayed the court not to grant him bail.

He said the excuse that he was detained for national interest was untenable.