A Magistrate Court sitting in Kuje, Abuja, has granted bail to human rights activist and publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore, and several others arrested during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in the Federal Capital Territory.
Among those granted bail are Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu; his brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and 11 other protesters.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’Id, issued the bail order on Friday, after the defendants were arraigned on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace.
Bail Conditions
According to the ruling, the court granted Sowore and the other protesters bail in the sum of ₦500,000 each, with the following conditions:
Each defendant must present a verified National Identification Number (NIN).
They must provide a three-year tax clearance certificate.
They are also required to submit their international passports pending further hearing.
Sowore’s Arrest Sparks Outrage
Sowore was reportedly arrested on Thursday by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force shortly after leaving the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Videos of the arrest, which went viral on social media, triggered widespread condemnation from civil society groupsand human rights advocates, who accused the authorities of using force to silence dissent.
Sowore, a longtime advocate for democracy and social justice, has been a prominent voice in Nigeria’s civil rights movement for over three decades.
Through his media platform, SaharaReporters, he has exposed numerous cases of corruption, abuse of power, and human rights violations in Nigeria.
What’s Next
Following the court’s ruling, the defendants are expected to perfect their bail conditions before their release. The case is expected to resume in the coming weeks, as the court continues hearing the charges against the protesters.
The #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest was organised to demand the immediate release of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2021.