A Magistrate Court sitting in Kuje, Abuja, has granted bail to human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, alongside Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, and his younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu.
The trio, along with ten other supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), were arrested by the Nigeria Police following the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held on Monday, October 20, in Abuja.
Presiding Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’d ruled on Friday, October 24, that the accused persons be released on bail, setting the conditions at ₦500,000 each. The court further ordered the submission of their verified National Identification Numbers (NIN), three-year tax clearance certificates, and international passports to the court registrar.
The defendants had been charged with unlawful assembly and public disturbance, following their participation in the peaceful demonstration calling for the release of the detained IPOB leader.
Their arrest had drawn widespread criticism from human rights advocates and pro-democracy groups, who described the police action as an attempt to stifle free expression and peaceful protest.
Sowore was first picked up by police operatives at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, where he had gone to show solidarity with Kanu during his trial.
Kanu, the IPOB leader, is currently facing terrorism-related charges brought against him by the Federal Government, following his arrest and repatriation from Kenya in 2021.
