A Magistrate Court sitting in Kuje, Abuja, has granted bail to human rights activist and publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore, and 13 others arrested during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in the Federal Capital Territory.
Those granted bail alongside Sowore include Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu; his brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu; and 11 other protesters.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id, issued the bail order on Friday after the defendants were arraigned on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace.
In his ruling, the magistrate granted each of the defendants bail in the sum of ₦500,000, with the condition that they present a verified National Identification Number (NIN).
They were also directed to submit their three-year tax clearance certificates and passports as part of the bail requirements.
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 viral videos, sparked outrage among civil society organisations and human rights groups, who described it as another attempt to stifle dissent and silence activism.
Sowore, a veteran advocate of democracy and social justice, has been a leading voice in Nigeria’s civil rights movement for over three decades.
Through SaharaReporters, his investigative media platform, he has consistently exposed corruption, abuse of power and human rights violations in government circles.
