Omoyele Sowore treason charges explained

Omoyele 'Yele' Sowore, a presidential candidate in the Nigerian February 2019 elections was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on August 3, 2019, in Lagos, Nigeria, after he called for nation-wide protests as part of the #RevolutionNow movement he started.[1]

Background

The Coalition for Revolution (CORE), a political movement led by Sowore called for a nation-wide protest march themed Revolution Now, to commence from August 5, 2019.[2] In July, 2019, CORE issued its 5-core demands for Revolution Now, being:[3]

  1. An economy that works for the masses.
  2. An effective and democratic end to insecurity.
  3. An end to systemic corruption and for total system change.
  4. The immediate implementation of the NGN30,000 minimum wage.
  5. Free and quality education for all.

Revolution Now

On July, 2019, Sowore via his micro-blogging handle announced the hashtag #RevolutionNow while communicating the commencement date via a graphic post.[4] This was to press the 5-point demands of CORE and garner widespread attention.[5]

Arrest

Nigeria's Department of State Services (DSS) arrested Sowore at his Lagos residence on August 3, 2019, by 1.25 am. His online news platform Sahara Reporters first broke the story before other local news platforms followed suit.[6] A DSS petition to keep Sowore in custody for 45 days pending investigations was granted on August 8 by an Abuja court, headed by Justice Taiwo Taiwo.[7]

Trial

Sowore was charged to court for treasonable and money laundering felonies after being in detention for 45 days. The breakdown of the Nigeria State charges against him were:

  1. conspiracy to commit treasonable felony by allegedly staging a revolution campaign aimed at removing the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
  2. committing the actual offence of reasonable felony in August 2019 in Abuja, Lagos and other parts of Nigeria, to stage the #RevolutionNow protest allegedly aimed at removing the President.
  3. cybercrime offences by granting press interview for the purpose of causing insult, enmity, hatred and ill-will on the person of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
  4. money laundering offences by alleged transferring $74,400 in 4 installments by means of swift wire[8]

Timeline of Sowore's trial[9] [10]

Federal government fined

For frequent calls for adjournment of the case against Sowore, a Federal High Court in Abuja fined the Federal Government the sum of NGN 200,000.[11] The Federal Government confirmed the fine's payment at a resumed hearing.[12]

International protests

On August 23, 48 press freedom advocates petitioned the United Nations (UN) and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to urgently intervene by securing Sowere's immediate release. They also described Sowore's arrest as a gross violation of his human rights and a threat to press freedom in Nigeria,[13] and by September 26, resent an update to their appeal for intervention.[14] Also in September, another group of 72 writers, academics and activists, which includes Edmund Phelps, Anya Schiffrin, Sheila Coronel, Okey Ndibe and Bruce Shapiro sent an open letter to demand that Nigeria drop charges against Omoyele Sowore.[15] Ope Sowore, his wife led a group of protesters to the UN Plaza building where President Buhari was in attendance[16] and also led supporters to stage a rally outside the office of U.S. senator Bob Menedez to demand her husband's release.[17]

Release

Omoyele Sowore's was finally released on December 24, 2019, on bail. His release came to be after the Nigeria's Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), said in a statement on Tuesday that he had issued a directive to the DSS to release him and others. This was after the Attorney General took over the prosecution of all charges against Sowore from the DSS after issuing a letter to intent on December 11, 2019, to the Director General of the DSS directing them to forward all the case files to the AGF's office.[18] In the same vein, Sowore's legal team called for a total withdraw of charges pending any other criminal charges against his client, insisting that there was no evidence to get the ‘Revolution Now’ protests convener convicted on present charges.[19]

Legal team

Senior lawyers (>25 years of practice)

Junior lawyers

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nigerian journalist Omoyele Sowore remains in jail on trumped-up charges of treason and insulting the president. 2019-10-11. Global Voices Advocacy. en-US. 2020-04-14.
  2. Web site: Bad Governance: Coalition For Revolution To Hold Nationwide Protests August 5. 2019-07-27. Sahara Reporters. 2020-04-14.
  3. Web site:
    1. RevolutionNow: Fanning the embers of revolt in Nigeria
    . 2019-10-29. ROAPE. en-US. 2020-04-14.
  4. Web site:
    1. RevolutionNow Days Of Rage commences on August 5 2019pic.twitter.com/AgPiyQb5x7
    . Sowore. Omoyele. 2019-07-29. @yelesowore. en. 2020-04-14.
  5. Web site:
    1. RevolutionNow: Fanning the embers of revolt in Nigeria
    . 2019-10-29. ROAPE. en-US. 2020-04-14.
  6. Web site: DSS arrests AAC presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore. Punch Newspapers. 3 August 2019 . en-US. 2020-04-14.
  7. Web site: Nigerian journalist Omoyele Sowore remains in jail on trumped-up charges of treason and insulting the president. 2019-10-11. Global Voices Advocacy. en-US. 2020-04-14.
  8. Web site: FG charges Sowore with treason, accuses him of insulting Buhari. Punch Newspapers. 21 September 2019 . en-US. 2020-04-14.
  9. Web site: Nigerian journalist Omoyele Sowore remains in jail on trumped-up charges of treason and insulting the president. 2019-10-11. Global Voices Advocacy. en-US. 2020-04-14.
  10. Web site:
    1. RevolutionNow: Sowore, Bakare's trial resumes on Wednesday
    . 2020-02-11. Pulse Nigeria. en-US. 2020-04-15.
  11. Web site: Breaking: Court slams 200,000 against FG over adjournment of Sowore. 2020-02-12. Vanguard News. en-US. 2020-04-21.
  12. Web site: FG Confirms Paying Sowore N200,000. 2020-02-13. GIO TV. en-US. 2020-04-21.
  13. Web site: Nigerian journalist Omoyele Sowore remains in jail on trumped-up charges of treason and insulting the president. 2019-10-11. Global Voices Advocacy. en-US. 2020-04-14.
  14. Urgent Appeal Update.
  15. Web site: Sowore: American Nobel Laureate, academics, others urge Nigeria to.... 2019-09-26. en-GB. 2020-04-14.
  16. Web site: Sowore's wife, Opeyemi leads protesters to UN. Punch Newspapers. 25 September 2019 . en-US. 2020-04-15.
  17. Web site: Sowore's wife, children protest his detention - P.M. News. www.pmnewsnigeria.com. 2020-04-15.
  18. Web site: Nigeria's Attorney General Abubakar Malami has ordered the State security Service to hands off trial of embattled journalist Omoyele Sowore.. 2019-12-13. The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. en-US. 2020-04-15.
  19. Web site: Malami Takes over Sowore's Prosecution, Falana Seeks Withdrawal of Charges. editor. 2019-12-14. THISDAYLIVE. en-US. 2020-04-15.

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