DSS releases Sowore, Bakare after court’s ultimatum
The Nation Newspaper
3 hours ago
BREAKING: I Can’t Wait To Have My Husband Back Home, Says Sowore’s Wife
Sahara Reporters
6 hours ago
Sowore’s Release, A Big Relief, Says Shehu Sani
Sahara Reporters
7 hours ago
Sowore’s Long Journey To Freedom After 125 Days In Detention
Sowore’s eventual release came hours after Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, sitting at the Federal High Court in Abuja, gave the secret security 24-hours ultimatum to release him.
BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKDEC 05, 2019
Pro-democracy activist, Omoyele Sowore, has been released from the detention of the Department of State Services (DSS) where he has been held for 125 days following his arrest on August 3.
Sowore’s eventual release came hours after Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, sitting at the Federal High Court in Abuja, gave the secret security 24-hours ultimatum to release him.
The court had granted bail to Sowore on two different occassions but the DSS refused to let him out.
The DSS filed a seven-count-charge bordering on treasonable felony, cyberstalking among other offences.
It had earlier obtained an ex-parte order allowing it hold Sowore for 45 days while it investgated the charges eventually preferred against him.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo, who granted the ex-parte order later ordered the DSS to release the pro-democracy activist.
He ordered that Sowore be released into the custody of his lawyer, Femi Falana.
However, rather than release him, the DSS hurriedly arraigned him before Justice Ojukwu. : You Cannot Have a Parallel Court, Justice Ojukwu Tells DSS Over Sowore’s Continued Detention
Not comfortable with Sowore’s prolonged detention, his lawyer filed a 19-ground-application asking the court to set aside the ex-parte order.
The case was assigned to Justice Nkweonye Maha of the same court.
Maha declined to hear Sowore’s motion on August 28, on the ground that she did not have jurisdiction to review the decision of Justice Taiwo who granted the ex-parte order.
She declined all applications made by Falana and sent the case back to the administrative judge.
Falana, again, filed another motion on September 13, asking the court to admit his client bail on self recognizance or upon any condition the court may reasonably deem appropriate.
Following the arraignment of Sowore and Bakare before Justice Ojukwu, the court granted him on bail but with stringent conditions.
Justice Ojukwu granted Sowore bail of N100 million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must have landed property within the court’s jurisdiction and evidence of tax clearance. One of the surety must deposit N50 million in the account of the court as security. She also barred him from travelling out of Abuja during his trial.
She granted Bakare a N50 million bail with one suretie in like sum. The surety must have landed property in Abuja. He was also restricted from travelling out of Oshogbo during his trial.SEE ALSOSowore, Bakare Object Plan By DSS To Transfer Them To Correctional Centre
The activists through their lawyer, Femi Falana applied for the variation of the terms and asked the court for leniency.
On October 21, the trial judge set aside the previous conditions of 50million security deposits by one of the suretie .
She also reduced the N50 million bail of the second defendant to N20 million. Justice Ojukwu, however, refused to vary all other bail conditions.
When the matter came up for trial on November 6, Ojukwu issued a release warrant ordering the release of the activists from DSS detention.
Again the secret police refused to let them go as they go.
The DSS in one of its press releases had asked Sowore’s sureties to come forward for verification. Sowore’s Mother Stands By Him, Says “My Son Is Not A Criminal, Speaks Against Injustice”
In another statement the service said that Sowore may be knocked down by moving vehicle if released.
At the resumption of hearing, on Thursday December 5 , the judge lambasted the DSS for flaunting orders of the court court order. The visibly angry Justice Ojukwu awarded N100,000 as damages against DSS for disobeying her order.
She also ordered the release of the activists from DSS custody within 24hours.
The State Security Service (SSS) on Thursday night released Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, 124 days after he was first arrested in Lagos.
Olawale Bakare, an activist who was arrested and charged alongside Mr Sowore, was also freed by the SSS on bail Thursday night.
Mr Sowore’s lawyer, Femi Falana, while confirming the development to PREMIUM TIMES, said the SSS also paid N100,000 fine to Mr Sowore as ordered by the judge. The judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on Wednesday imposed the fine on the lawyer representing the SSS in the matter for refusing to furnish Mr Sowore’s lawyers with statements of SSS’ witnesses.
Ms Ojukwu also gave the SSS 24 hours to comply with her release warrant issued for Messrs Sowore and Bakare on November 6. The SSS had stalled the release for a month, despite nationwide outrage and warning from the judge that its director-general, Yusuf Bichi, might be held in criminal contempt of court.
Mr Sowore was arrested on August 3 for planning #RevolutionNow, a series of protests to demand an end to corruption and demand better living conditions for all citizens.
The protests were planned to commence on August 5 across 21 towns and cities, with public awareness escalating as the day drew closer.
On August 5, after two days of leaving the country confused as to the agency responsible for the break-in at Mr Sowore’s apartment, the SSS convened a press briefing at its headquarters in Abuja.
The secret police’s spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, confirmed Mr Sowore was arrested for engaging in purported acts of subversion.
Mr Afunanya said Mr Sowore called for the overthrow of Mr Buhari’s government during campaigns ahead of the protests, an action the agency say is treasonable.
Yet, when asked whether the SSS had independently collected any intelligence that corroborated its suspicion of Mr Sowore’s alleged plots, Mr Afunanya said the activist’s public comments were enough to charge him for treason — an allegation that carries death penalty if proven in court.
The SSS subsequently obtained a court warrant to hold Mr Sowore in custody pending trial. Two weeks later, charges were filed at the Federal High Court that included terrorism, money laundering and defamation of character.
Mr Sowore’s associates and supporters again derided the charges as empty, saying it was poorly filed and had no compelling evidence to be upheld in court.
In particular, the claim that Mr Sowore committed money laundering was ridiculed by Inibehe Effiong, a rights activist and ally of Mr Sowore, who said Mr Sowore’s transfer of funds between two Sahara Reporters’ accounts through the formal banking channels cannot be interpreted as money laundering.
Sowore, Bakare Object Plan By DSS To Transfer Them To Correctional Centre
Sowore’s Mother Stands By Him, Says “My Son Is Not A Criminal, Speaks Against Injustice”
