COURT ALLOWS DSS TO SERVE PAT UTOMI OVER ‘SHADOW GOVERNMENT’ ALLEGATIONS
A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the Department of State Services (DSS) permission to serve legal papers to political economist and former ADC presidential candidate Pat Utomi over allegations that he is attempting to form a “shadow government.”
Justice James Omotosho approved the DSS’s request to serve Utomi at his Lagos residence by courier. The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025, seeks a judicial declaration that Utomi’s parallel structure—allegedly complete with appointed ombudsmen and policy units—is unconstitutional.
The DSS contends that such initiatives violate Section 1(1) of the Nigerian Constitution and pose a threat to national security and political stability. The agency is asking the court for a perpetual injunction restraining Utomi and his associates from further action.
The case has been adjourned to June 25, 2025, for continued proceedings. The development reflects mounting tensions between alternative governance advocacy groups and state institutions wary of perceived threats to centralized auth
