There was palpable tension on Wednesday, January 29, 2024 at the Federal High Court, Abuja as protesters on the aegis of #EndBadGovernance movement accused security forces of intimidation while demanding the immediate and unconditional release of activist and online Publisher, Mr Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore was invited by the Nigeria Police Force on Monday to appear before it and answer questions over allegations of resisting and obstructing public officers, disobedience to lawful orders, cyberstalking and acts allegedly aimed at preventing arrests.
He was later detained following his refusal to accept the bail conditions granted him by the police which he described as obnoxious and against the ruling of the Court of Appeal.
However, in spite of the heavy presence of personnel of the Nigeria Police Force at the Court premises, the protesters vowed to continue their advocacy until their demands were met.
One of the protesters specifically shouted on top of his voice against what he described as “misplaced priorities” by the authorities.
He said; “Police officers are here to intimidate protesters. Meanwhile, Abuja is burning. Look at them gathered here instead of being deployed to crime hotspots.
“This shows the seriousness of this government and the illegal Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. If he were serious, he would send his men to tackle crime, not to harass peaceful demonstrators,” he said.
The demonstrators demanded that Sowore, who has been in detention since Monday, January 27, 2025, should either be brought before the court immediately or released if no formal charges had been filed against him.
One of the leaders of the protesters said; “What we are asking is that Sowore should be brought before a court now. Stop detaining him and breaching his right to liberty if you have no charges against him. Free Sowore now!”
The peaceful protesters also called for an end to what they described as the “weaponization of the judiciary” against government critics.
“We are also asking for the striking out of all cases against critics of this government. All critics who were unjustly tried in this country should have their cases struck out. The authorities should focus on serious matters instead of chasing trivialities,” the protester added.
Sowore in a statement on his verified X.com on Monday, alleged that the invitation extended to him by the police was politically motivated, saying that it was because of his public criticism of Egbetokun’s tenure extension.
The activist later said that he was granted bail following an engagement with the Force Intelligence Department of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja but, rejected any bail condition he believed would compromise his “innocence, dignity, and integrity.”
Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, on Tuesday, said that the police would be arraigning him on Wednesday, saying that the police have procured charges to arraign him before Justice Liman at the Federal High Court tomorrow.
