BIAFRA : Drop all charges against Sowore, others, Amnesty International urges FG

Global human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has urged the Federal Government to drop all the charges preferred against the convener of #RevolutionNow protest and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the February 2019 general election, Mr. Omoyele Sowore.

The nongovernmental organisation also made the same demand on behalf of Sowore’s co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, aka Mandate; and another detainee, Agba Jalingo, a journalist.

Until Thursday evening, Sowore had spent 125 days in Department of State Service’s detention, having been arrested last August when he was accused of planning a forceful takeover of government through nationwide protests tagged #RevolutionNow.

Reacting to his Thursday release, Amnesty International had tweeted,

Amnesty International welcomes the release of Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare. We again call on authorities to drop all charges against them. We are also calling for the release of Agba Jalingo. All of them were detained solely for exercising their freedom of expression.

— Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) December 6, 2019

 However, Sowore was rearrested on Friday, barely 24 hours into his release.

The re-arrest at the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, led to confusion as gun-wielding operatives of the DSS invaded the court, disrupting proceedings.

The activist’s online medium, Sahara Reporters, alleged that the DSS had already declared his co-defendant, Bakare, missing.