There was pandemonium at the court 7 of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Friday as the officers of Department of State Service (DSS), made attempt to rearrest the co-convener of the RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore in the court.
The presiding judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, had earlier adjourned the case of treasonable felony brought against him by the Nigerian government to 11, 12 and 13 February 2020 for further hearing.
Trouble started when the plain cloth men of the secret service, who were also in the court, accosted the activist as he stepped out of the dock but did not succeed but laid siege outside the court.
Sowore’s Lawyer, Femi Falana, eventually voluntarily took the human rights activist to the DSS after a long standoff at the court premises.
After a brief discussion with the DSS, Falana accompanied Sowore out of the courtroom. But on getting to the gate, armed security operatives who have laid siege, seized Sowore .
At this point Falana asked Sowore to enter his car and drive him to DSS office. The show lasted for 15 minutes.
Sowore was released on Thursday night after the court gave Nigeria’s secret police a 24-hour ultimatum to release him.
The court also awarded N100,000 against the prosecution for failing to comply with court orders requesting the release of Sowore and for not serving the defense counsel with necessary documents early enough.
The penalty, Justice Ojukwu said, must be paid to the defendants before the commencement of trial.
The judge consequently adjourned hearing till Friday but the officials of service stormed the court, distrupted the trial and arrested Sowore.
Sowore has been in DSS detention for 124 days. Sowore was first arrested by the DSS on Saturday, August 3 for planning a nationwide protest tagged #RevolutionNow.
The Nigerian government filed additional charges against Sowore on Friday, September 20, a day before the completion of the initial 45 days the court allowed the DSS to keep him in custody.
Sowore’s lawyer Femi Falana in an earlier affidavit told the court “that the applicant (Sowore) herein has never been charged with any criminal offence whatsoever” and should be granted bail.
