Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, on Friday announced his plan to return to the United States, marking his first travel out Nigeria, since his legal troubles with the federal government started in August 2019.
In the statement, Mr Sowore, a two-time presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), said he would get the opportunity to see his wife and children for the first time since 2019.
“Later today I will be returning to the US after almost five years of my unlawful, unjust and inhuman detention by the corrupt Nigerian political system since August 2019,” Mr Sowore said.
Mr Sowore said the ordeal denied him the ability to visit his family, “missing out on precious moments with my darling wife and wonderful children.”
Mr Sowore was arrested in August 2019 by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari for initiating protests he tagged: #RevolutionNow Protests.
He was arrested by SSS operatives before the scheduled day of the demonstration organised to call out Mr Buhari over his alleged misgovernance of the country at the time.
He was charged by the then Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, during the Buhari administration over their planned protest. He was subsequently charged with treason.
While the case dragged on in court, Mr Sowore, who was before his arrest shuttling between Nigeria and the United States, where his family is based, grappled with stringent bail conditions that restricted his movement to Abuja.
Reprieve came his way in April 2022, when the Court of Appeal in Abuja lifted the movement restriction imposed on him, allowing him to travel within Nigeria.
While the case dragged on in court, Mr Sowore was freed on 19 February following the application of notice of discontinuance filed by the Nigerian government through the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
Read Mr Sowore’s statement here.
“Later today I will be returning to the US after almost five years of my unlawful, unjust and inhuman detention by the corrupt Nigerian political system since August 2019.
I was arrested, assaulted, tortured and detained for demanding that Nigerians deserved a nation that they can truly call their own. I was charged with treason – and after 5 years the APC government was forced to withdraw its trumped up charges against me.
If the government thought that keeping me detained, and later restricting my movement would break my spirit, and cause me to renounce my commitment to fighting for the downtrodden Nigerian people, they are mistaken.
In the last five years, I have been denied the ability to visit my family, missing out on precious moments with my darling wife and wonderful children. I lost my brother to gunmen on Nigeria’s roads. My mother’s health deteriorated, due to the emotional toll of the government’s unrelenting assault on my person. My associates have faced arrest, and some imprisonment.
I stand today to declare that I am unbowed. My commitment to Nigeria is unshakable. My resolve to continue to fight for the betterment of the Nigerian nation and to demand accountability from her leaders will never be compromised.
Everything we said five years ago about the need for a radical restructuring of the Nigerian nation and the need for a revolution in our approach to politics and governance has come to pass. Corruption remains high and Nigerians are worse off today than they were five years ago. Inflation is making it difficult for people to put food on the table. Nigeria’s currency has been devalued by almost 100%.
I am under no illusions about what the future holds. I commuted myself to the mission of helping to create a Nigeria that fulfills its promise and realizes its potential, over 30 years ago. I have suffered greatly for that commitment. My family, colleagues, and associates who have stood by me throughout this journey have endured great pain and privations as well.
For those who wonder what my next steps will be – I say this: I believe now, as I did over 30 years ago when I began this journey, that the vision of creating a just and egalitarian society must be established during my lifetime.
My trip today to reunite with my children and courageous and supportive wife is only for a short while. I will return to Nigeria to continue my struggle for the total liberation of our people from the shackles of the current corrupt, self serving political class. I will also be returning to face headlong, the remaining truckload of bogus criminal and civil cases that have been thrown at me since my detention in 2019.
Let me use this opportunity to thank my family, lawyers particularly Femi Falana SAN, colleagues, and fellow revolutionaries at home and abroad who have stood firmly by my side, against all odds.
Nigeria will be free. Nigerians will see a nation that is free of corruption, that has leaders whose only interest is in uplifting the people and creating an environment where our people can realize their potential.
I remain committed to this ideal. It is a commitment that I have dedicated my life to, and my resolve to stay the path and keep on with the fight remains strong!”
