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.
Gatekeepers News reports that also granted bail were Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu.
Others released on bail include Joshua Emmanuel, Wilson Anyalewechi, Okere Kingdom Nnamdi, Clinton Chimeneze, Gabriel Joshua, Isiaka Husseini, Onyekachi Ferdinand, Amadi Prince, Edison Ojisom, Godwill Obioma, and Chima Onuchukwu.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’I’d, granted each defendant bail in the sum of ₦500,000, with the condition that they present a verified National Identification Number (NIN).
In his ruling on Friday, the magistrate also ordered the defendants to provide their three-year tax clearance certificates and submit their international passports as part of the bail requirements.
Sowore was arrested on Thursday by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force shortly after leaving the Federal High Court in Abuja. His arrest — captured in viral videos — sparked widespread outrage among civil society groups and human rights advocates, who described it as another attempt to stifle dissent and clamp down on peaceful protest.
The case has been adjourned for further hearing.
