Detained Convener of #RevolutionNow protest and presidential candidate
of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the February 23 presidential election, Mr Omoyele Sowore, was brought to court on Monday by the Federal Government for arraignment on a seven count charge bordering on treasonable felony and money laundering.
Sowore, also the publisher of Sahara Reporters, who was surrounded by operatives of the Department of State Services for the scheduled arraignment, arrived the fourth floor of the court edifice at about 9.10am, chanting ‘Revolution,’ with his waiting followers completing the slogan with a chorus of “Now.”
He was greeted with a resounding ovation by his supporters who had already besieged the court since 8am.
He has been in the custody of the Department State Service (DSS) since August 3 on the order of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, when he was arrested by the security agency.
Despite a court order for his release on September 24, the agency has however refused to release him.
The Federal Government had on September 20 filed the charge against him barely 24 hours to the expiration of the detention order.
He is to be arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The charge which was signed on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), by a Chief State Counsel, Aminu Alilu, in the Department of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Justice, specifically accused Sowore and his co-defendant of conspiracy to commit treasonable felony in breach of section 516 of the Criminal Code Act by allegedly staging “a revolution campaign on September 5, 2019 aimed at removing the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
The prosecution also accused them of committing the actual offence of treasonable felony in breach of section, 4(1)(c) of the Criminal Code Act, by using the platform of Coalition for Revolution, in August 2019 in Abuja, Lagos and other parts of Nigeria, to stage the #RevolutionNow protest allegedly aimed at removing the President.
Sowore was further accused of cybercrime offences in violation of section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, by “knowingly” sending “messages by means of press interview granted on Arise Television network which you knew to be false for the purpose of causing insult, enmity, hatred and ill-will on the person of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
It also accused Sowore of money laundering offences in breach of section 15(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
The DSS on August 3, 2019 arrested Sowore for calling for a revolution through a protest scheduled to hold on August 5.
On August 8, Justice Taiwo Taiwo in the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court granted the DSS permission to hold the activist in custody for 45 days.
Barely 24 hours before the expiration of the 45 days on September 21, the AGF office, on September 20, filed seven counts of treasonable felony, cyber crimes and money laundering against the activist.
On September 24, upon a request by Sowore’s legal team led by Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), Justice Taiwo Taiwo granted him bail, with the sole condition that he deposit his passport in the court’s registry.
But one week after meeting the bail condition, the DSS has yet to release the activist.
In what came as a shock to Falana and other members of his team, the DSS, Dr. Peter Afunnaya, said on September 26 that the agency had yet to be served with the court order for Sowore’s release.
Debunking the DSS’ claim in a swift reaction, Falana said Ayuba Adam of the Legal Department of the DSS received the court order on behalf of the agency on September 24, 2019 (Tuesday).
He added that the agency’s lawyer, G. O. Agbadua, represented the agency in court on the day the order was issued, implying that the agency was not in doubt that the court order was issued.
On Friday, the DSS operatives blocked a bailiff of the court from serving the court order again on the agency.
The bailiff narrated how he was, on Friday, prevented from serving on the DSS in the affidavit of “non-service” which he deposed to before the court’s Commissioner of Oath later on Friday.
Thisday/Punch
