Tag: Sowore

  • Naira Redesign: Sowore Mocks Dino Melaye Over Cash Donation

    Naira Redesign: Sowore Mocks Dino Melaye Over Cash Donation

    The presidential candidate for the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, at a recent event, mocked the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council, Dino Melaye, after the former senator made a cash donation at an event.

    The event, which was in honour of a late human rights activist, Ariyo Raphael Dare-Atoye, fondly referred to as Aristotle, witnessed Sowore throw a jab at Melaye after he pledged a sum of N500,000 annually for a foundation established for the children of the deceased.

    In his speech, Melaye noted that he had the N500,000 cash which he hoped to present to the foundation. Melaye said, “I was told that there is a plan for a foundation; an education foundation for the children and I am so impressed about that. I am making a pledge that I would give an annual donation of N500,000 to that foundation. I brought the first part of it, N500,000.”

    While taking the stage, Sowore simply stated that with the intent of the CBN to redesign the naira notes, politicians are now moving around with cash.

    He said, “You can already see the effect of the Central Bank’s decision to redesign the naira. Now politicians are carrying cash around.”

  • Court orders DSS to pay N2m to Sowore over illegal seizure of his phones

    Court orders DSS to pay N2m to Sowore over illegal seizure of his phones

    A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to pay the sum of N2 million as general damages to Omoyele Sowore, an activist, over the unlawful seizure of his phone in 2019.

    The DSS arrested Sowore on August 2, 2019. Despite being granted bail by two courts, the DSS failed to release the activist.

    He was, however, eventually released on December 24, 2019.

    Sowore then instituted a suit against the secret service to compel the agency to return his seized phones.

    Delivering judgment in the suit on Wednesday, Anwuli Chiekere, presiding judge, held that the suit is not an abuse of court process as claimed by the respondent’s counsel.

    Consequently, she ordered that the phones and money seized from Sowore in August 2019 should be returned to him and N2 million paid to him as damages.

    She also ordered the DSS to apologise to the plaintiff publicly in two national dailies.

  • Sowore, AAC factions clash at INEC headquarters in Abuja

    Sowore, AAC factions clash at INEC headquarters in Abuja

    Members of the African Alliance Congress led by Omoyele Sowore and Chief Leonard Ezenwa, are currently occupying the headquarters of INEC in Abuja to counter each other.

    The Sowore group is seeking recognition as original owners of the party whereas INEC has already recognised the Ezenwa led group.

    Details later…

  • Babalawo In Court: Omoyele Sowore Reveals Why He Stormed Court With ‘Herbalist’

    Babalawo In Court: Omoyele Sowore Reveals Why He Stormed Court With ‘Herbalist’

    Nigerian activist and RevolutionNow convener Omoyele Sowore has revealed why he was seen in court with a ‘Juju man’.

    Sowore who spoke to BBC Pidgin said that the man who wore the traditional attire normally associated with ‘Juju men’ is not a herbalist or a ‘Juju man’ as many described. He said the man is an African man who accompanied him to court dressed in what represents his belief.

    The human rights activist stated that the reason for the man being there was to discourage people who always look down on African traditions, cultural beliefs, and fashion.

    Sowore and the man in traditional attire

    According to Sowore, another reason for the man’s presence was to change the belief that European cultures are better than those of Africans.

    He dished that the statement he was trying to make while making his court appearance was “Pan Africanism”; breaking the stereotype that African traditions, cultural beliefs, and fashion are inferior to those of the white man.

    Speaking further, Sowore added that the man appeared in court to show him solidarity, the same way Christians and Muslims follow him to courtrooms to show him support.

    Pictures of Sowore and the man in the traditional attire had gone viral, with many calling him names like ‘Sowore’s herbalist’, ‘Ifa Priest’, ‘Bodyguard’, etc.

    While some had hailed the man, saying that he was promoting his African heritage, others had said that Sowore had resorted to fighting the federal government through traditional means.

  • BREAKING: Court grants Sowore N20million bail

    BREAKING: Court grants Sowore N20million bail

    A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to Sahara Reporters’ publisher, Omoyele Sowore in the sum of N20million.

    Four other activists, who were arrested with Sowore on New Year’s Eve in Abuja for holding a protest against bad governance, were also granted bail in the sum of N1m each.

    Sowore and Juwon Sanyaolu, Peter Williams, Emmanuel Bulus, and Damilare Adenola are standing trial for alleged unlawful assembly, criminal conspiracy, and inciting public disturbance.

    Chief Magistrate Mabel Segun-Bello while ruling on the bail application on Monday filed admitted Sowore to bail in the sum of N20million and two sureties in like sum.

    The court also ordered Sowore to remain in Abuja and must physically report to the court registrar every Monday and Friday pending the hearing and determination of the case against him.

    The court further ordered that one of his sureties must be a civil servant not below grade level 12.

    Details later…

  • Sowore’s Bail Application Suffers Temporary Setback

    Sowore’s Bail Application Suffers Temporary Setback

    The hearing of the bail application filed on behalf of Omoyele Sowore has suffered a temporary setback.

    The bail application suffered a setback on Tuesday after the prosecutor, Adama Musa, opposed the hearing of the application on the ground that Sowore was served with the application by 10.43 a.m. today in court contrary to the order of the court for the service to be effected on him before 4.00 p.m. yesterday.

    The Prosecutor informed the court that he needs time to go through the application to enable him to respond appropriately.

    Chief Magistrate Mabel Segun-Bello after listening to the argument of the prosecution stepped down the case for two hours to enable the Prosecutor to go through the application.

    Sowore and four others were arraigned on January 4, on a three-count of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and inciting public disturbance and they all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Details later…

  • Sowore Arrives At Court In Handcuffs

    Sowore Arrives At Court In Handcuffs

    Omoyele Sowore has arrived at the Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja wearing handcuffs.

    The court presided over by Chief Magistrate Mabel Segun-Bello is expected to hear the bail application filed on Sowore’s behalf.

    He is being arraigned alongside four others by the Federal Government on three charges of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and attempting to incite others.

    Details later…

  • SERAP Seeks UN Intervention Over Detention Of Sowore and Four Others

    SERAP Seeks UN Intervention Over Detention Of Sowore and Four Others

    The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sought the intervention of the United Nations over the detention of the convener of #RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore, and four others.

    In a statement on Tuesday by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group said it has sent an urgent complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention over the “arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment” Sowore and the other whom it said were activists for peacefully exercising their human rights.

    This comes a day after a Magistrate Court in Abuja ordered the remand of the five persons at the Kuje Correctional Centre in the nation’s capital pending when their formal bail application would be heard on Tuesday.

    They were arraigned by the Federal Government on three charges of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and an attempt to incite others.

    In its reaction, SERAP said, “The Working Group should request the Nigerian authorities to withdraw the bogus charges against Mr Sowore and four other activists, and to immediately and unconditionally release them.”

    In the complaint dated January 4, it stressed that the detention of the five persons constituted an arbitrary deprivation of their liberty, saying it does not have any legal justification.

    The human rights group urged the UN Working Group to initiate a procedure involving the investigation of the charges against Sowore and the activists and to urgently send an allegation letter to the Nigerian government inquiring about the case generally.

    It also urged the international body to issue an opinion declaring that the deprivation of liberty and detention of Sowore and the others was arbitrary and in violation of Nigeria’s Constitution and obligations under international human rights law.

    Before their arraignment, Sowore had in a tweet called for a crossover protest, asking Nigerians to pick up a candle and a placard showing their grievances against the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    The complaint addressed to the Chairman/Rapporteur of the Working Group, Mr Jose Guevara Bermudez, read in part:

    The Human Rights Committee has interpreted this right to mean that procedures for carrying out legally authorized deprivation of liberty should also be established by law and State parties should ensure compliance with their legally prescribed procedures.

    Pursuant to the mandate of the Working Group, the “Manual of Operations of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council” and the publication “Working with the UN Human Rights Programme, a Handbook for Civil Society”, SERAP, a non-governmental human rights organization, can provide information on a specific human rights case or situation in a particular country, or on a country’s laws and practices with human rights implications.

    SERAP, therefore, argues that the case adequately satisfies the requirements by which to submit an individual complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

    SERAP is therefore seeking an opinion from the Working Group finding the continuing detention of Mr Sowore and four other activists to be arbitrary and in violation of Nigeria’s Constitution and obligations under international law.

    Accordingly, it is hereby requested that the Working Group consider this Individual Complaint a formal request for an opinion of the Working Group pursuant to Resolution 1997/50 of the Commission on Human Rights, as reiterated by Resolutions 2000/36, 2003/31, and Human Rights Council Resolutions 6/4, 15/18, 20/16, and 24/7.

    SERAP respectfully requests the Working Group to initiate the procedure involving the investigation of individual cases toward reaching an opinion declaring the detention of Mr Sowore and four other activists to be arbitrary and in violation of international human rights law.

    To this end, SERAP will pursue the regular communications procedure before the Working Group in order to have the ability to provide comments on any response by the Nigerian government.

    On midnight of 1st January 2021, Mr Sowore and four other activists were arrested by the officers of Nigeria Police Force, particularly men dispatched from Apo Division, Abuja, at the #CrossoverWithProtest, a planned procession across the country on New Year Eve.

    They were reportedly subjected to severe torture and other ill-treatment, and Sowore was left with bruises on his nose and all over his body in an apparently the use of excessive force by the police officers.

    Sowore and four other activists were arraigned at the Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 2 on Monday, 4th January 2021 on three charges of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and attempting to incite others.

    Sowore denied all the charges, but the Magistrate ordered that he, alongside other activists, be remanded in Kuje Prison. He was denied access to his friends and family for days.

    The authorities have also refused to provide him with medical attention despite overt marks of torture and other ill-treatment he reportedly suffered.

  • BREAKING: Court remands Sowore, four others in Kuje prison until bail application

    BREAKING: Court remands Sowore, four others in Kuje prison until bail application

    A Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Monday, ordered the remand of Sahara Reporters Publisher, Omoyele Sowore, and four other activists in Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of their bail applications.

    Their formal bail applications would be heard on Tuesday, January 5, 2020.

    Recall we had reported that Sowore and other activists were arraigned on three charges of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and attempting to incite others.

    The activists, however, denied the charges.

    They were earlier arrested for holding a protest against bad governance on New Year’s Eve in Abuja and subsequently taken to a police unit infamously known as ‘Abattoir’ in the Lokogoma area of the FCT.

    “We have been sent to the infamous Kuje Prison for the next 24 hours while they plot their next moves. But we are very resolute and convinced that this year will be different for the tyrant! #RevolutionNow,” Sowore tweeted on Monday.

    Details later…

  • Shehu Sani reacts to arrest of Sowore

    Shehu Sani reacts to arrest of Sowore

    Shehu Sani, former Kaduna Central Senator, has reacted to the arrest of a former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore.

    Sowore was arrested alongside other activists during a protest against the Nigerian government in the early hours of Friday.

    The protest was organized in Abuja.

    According to Sahara Reporters, police officers attacked and arrested the protesters during a peaceful procession to mark the New Year in Abuja.

    Reacting, Sani, in a tweet via his Twitter account on Friday, described Sowore’s arrest as unhelpful to the nation’s image.

    “The case of @YeleSowore; it’s unhelpful to the nation’s image and its constitutional democracy when peaceful protesters are treated in the most cruel and uncivilized manner by the state apparatuses.

    “The new year’s door is opened with a hammer instead of the key,” Sani tweeted.