BREAKING: Sowore Granted ₦500,000 Bail

A Magistrate Court in Kuje, Abuja, has granted bail to human rights activist and SaharaReporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, following his arrest during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in the Federal Capital Territory.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’I’d, also granted bail to Aloy Ejimakor, lawyer to detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu, and Prince Emmanuel Kanu, Nnamdi Kanu’s brother, alongside several other protesters.

Each of the defendants was granted bail in the sum of ₦500,000, with conditions that include presenting a verified National Identification Number (NIN), a three-year tax clearance certificate, and submission of passports to the court.

They were arraigned on charges bordering on unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace following their arrest during the peaceful demonstration.

Sowore was arrested on Thursday by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force shortly after leaving the Federal High Court in Abuja. His arrest, which was captured in videos that went viral online, sparked widespread outrage among civil society groups and human rights activists, who described it as an attempt to intimidate dissenting voices and stifle free expression.

The case has been adjourned for further hearing, as the defendants meet their bail conditions.