Drama of Sowore’s Re-Arrest Raises Fears Over His Safety
… As Amnesty International Calls on Buhari Govt to Drop Charges Following the drama of the re-arrest of Convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, by agents of the Department of...
… As Amnesty International Calls on Buhari Govt to Drop Charges
Following the drama of the re-arrest of Convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, by agents of the Department of State Security Service (DSS), at the Federal High Court, Abuja on Friday morning, fears are being raised over his safety, with the publisher of the online publication, Sahara Reporters alleging that the DSS has threatened to kill him after his release on Thursday night.
Sowore was attacked and flung to the ground, where the yet-to-be-identified man, dressed in a lawyer’s robes but suspected to be a DSS agent, reached down and hit him in the neck with something
Mr. Sowore and his co-defendant, Mr Olawale Bakare, were released when Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, gave an order at the scheduled commencement of the defendants’ trial on charges of treasonable felony.
The drama in court yesterday started when operatives of DSS tried to re-arrest Mr. Sowore and Mr. Bakare in front of Justice Ojukwu.
In an interview with Channels TV, Sowore said that the DSS had allegedly told him that he would not walk out of their detention alive.
“It might be my only word on the record before they kill me; this is an attempt to assassinate me in court. They came with guns and they tried to shoot and they dragged me down in front of a judge after I have been granted bail.
“I said it that these are a bunch of lawless people and they were reluctant to respect the order of the court. Now they have shown it to the whole world.
“They tried to break me in prison, sent delegations to me, offering all kinds of things and I refused and they promised that I will not walk out of their detention alive and that is what they have come to implement today.”
However, the DSS is yet to deny or counter the allegations made by Mr Sowore.
The #RevolutionNow convener urged Nigerians not to be afraid, adding that some people have to make the sacrifice for the country to work.
“What is important for Nigerians to know is that I am not going to give up until every Nigerian benefit from a country that is theirs and I have made it very clear.
“Nobody in Nigeria should be afraid, it is our country and some people have to make the sacrifice for this country to be a country of rule of law and of dignity; and this also involves even judges, if suspects who have been given bail are not safe in court, the judges themselves are not safe.”
He explained that the sudden exit of justice Ojukwu is due to the manner at which the DSS operatives had caused a scene inside the courtroom.
“That is why the judge had to retire hurriedly into her chambers.
“We urge you to hang around so that you can witness this historic day in Nigeria.”
Sowore, a presidential candidate on the platform of African Action Congress (AAC) in the February 2019 elections, was arrested on August 3, just days to a planned protest against “bad governance” in the country.
Both he and his co-defendant are facing seven counts bordering on conspiracy to commit treasonable felony in breach of Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, money laundering and cybercrimes, amongst others.
They pleaded not guilty to the charge and were granted bail on October 4, in the sum of N100m and N50m respectively with two sureties in like sum.
They, however, were not released until Thursday after the DSS were fined by N100,000
There is growing fear among supporters and family members over the state of health of Sowore, after the 48-year-old activist was struck by an unidentified man in court in Abuja on Friday morning.
Sowore had arrived early to stand trial in the case brought against him by the Nigerian Government accusing him of insulting President Muhammadu Buhari and planning to bring down his regime.
Midway through at the Federal High Court, heavily-armed operatives of the DSS abruptly disrupted the proceedings, forcing presiding judge, Ijeoma Ojukwu, to run for safety.
Sowore was attacked and flung to the ground, where the yet-to-be-identified man, dressed in a lawyer’s robes but suspected to be a DSS agent, reached down and hit him in the neck with something.
Upon noticing that he had been hit with something strange in the neck, the videos show Sowore turning around swiftly to query why the strange man was hitting him.
“Why did you hit me? What did you hit me with?” Sowore asked, before adding, “Who is this guy?”
In various video footages of the chaos in the courtroom analysed by Sahara Reporters, the tall man is seen holding and trying to pull Sowore to the ground from the chair he was seated.
While other supporters in the courtroom successfully pulled the journalist away from his attacker after several minutes of being rough-handled, the strange man was seen attempting to hurriedly walk away from the scene.
He was held back by Sowore’s supporters and other lawyers in court, who questioned him on his true identity and mission.
The strange man, acting suspiciously, made several attempts to wriggle his way through the angry witnesses but was held back and asked to explain why he had hit Sowore with an unknown substance on the neck in an apparent attempt to harm him.
The people accused him of trying to kill Sowore through an already laid out plan by ‘forces in high places’.
It was revealed that the strange man in question was not a legal practitioner and had not been previously seen around the court despite dressing as one.
Following Friday’s development, there is renewed worry among family members, supporters and associates of the journalist that his life may no longer be safe especially after he was rearrested by the DSS less than 24 hours after he was released from detention.
While his trial was ongoing on Friday morning, the security agency went ahead to file fresh charges against him without the knowledge of his lawyers led by Mr Femi Falana (SAN).
Falana while confirming that they had not been served details of the fresh charges by the DSS, condemned the attack and forceful re-arrest of his client, describing the entire situation as a slap on the rule of law.
Sowore was first arrested on August 3, 2019 for calling on Nigerians to pour into the streets in peaceful demonstrations to demand a better country from the administration of President Buhari.
But angered by his effrontery to speak truth to power, the 48-year-old is being held after being accused of insulting Buhari and planning to bring down his government.
The journalist was granted bail twice and ordered to be released by the DSS after meeting stringent conditions, but the agency refused to obey those directives.
While thanking Nigerians for their steadfastness, the Take It Back Movement called on them to rise up and save their country”.
“Earlier today, Nigerians saw for themselves the shame that is the Buhari government. In scenes reminiscent of the darkest periods of dictatorship in our country, fully armed DSS agents sacked a sitting court, brandishing weapons; and attempted to re-arrest National hero Omoyele Sowore. Despite being initially thwarted by the bravery and passion of his teeming supporters, he was eventually overpowered outside the court, and forcibly abducted to the headquarters of the DSS,” the movement says in statement signed by Director General, Take-It Back Movement, Dr Joshua Adeoye.
“If the Buhari government could brazenly attack a hero of democracy in full view of the world, at the premises of a pillar of democracy – the Judiciary, one can only wonder the de-humanizing treatment, physical and psychological assault Sowore will be subjected to in their custody.
“But we will not be cowed into silence as Sowore demonstrated with his bravery and sacrifice in the face of overwhelming danger – all despite getting earlier wind of the DSS’ plans to re-arrest him without legal basis. Neither will we be intimidated. The struggle for a just nation where the rights of every individual are respected is a cause we will continue to fight for and, if need be, for which we are prepared to die. It is time for all Nigerians to speak up for justice and join in demanding this government respect the Rule of Law.
“For those still on the fence about the accusations of lawlessness and tyranny levelled at the Buhari regime; today’s events are captured in video and available worldwide.
“To those who now know what we always knew – that Buhari is petty and vindictive, and clueless about how to help the ordinary Nigerian – please understand what Sowore’s sacrifice was intended to convey all along:
“Complaining in the comforts of your offices WILL NOT fix Nigeria.
Heated discussions with your friends and loved ones WILL NOT fix Nigeria.
Politics and poli-trick-ians will NOT fix Nigeria.
Even Prayers will not fix Nigeria.
It is Sacrifice that will”, the statement says..
Amnesty International (AI), on Friday, called on the government of President Buhari to drop all charges against Sowore and his accomplice,
The rights group added that Sowore was detained for exercising his freedom of expression hence all charges should be dropped against him.
AI on its verified Twitter page wrote: “Amnesty International welcomes the release of Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare. We again call on authorities to drop all charges against them. We are also calling for the release of Agba Jalingo. All of them were detained solely for exercising their freedom of expression.”
