#RevolutionNow: Sowore’s Case Strucked in Court
The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Wednesday, struck out the notice of appeal that convener of the 2019 #RevolutionNow protest, Mr Omoyele Sowore, filed to challenge his bail conditions.
Sowore was the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, in the last general election. He is the publisher of an online news outlet, Sahara Reporters. He is facing a treasonable felony charge the Federal Government preferred against him before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Though he was initially arraigned alongside his co-defendant Olawole Bakare (A.K.A. Mandate) on September 30, 2019. He is on a seven-count charge that bordered on conspiracy, money laundering, cyber-stalking and for allegedly insulting President Buhari. The prosecution subsequently reduced the charge to two counts.
Court of Appeal on Sowore’s Case
The prosecution subsequently reduced the charge to two counts. Meanwhile, Sowore, went to the appellate court to set aside some of the bail conditions. Those conditions were handed to him and his co-Defendant, by trial Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu.
Justice Ojukwu had in a ruling she delivered on October 4, 2019, granted Sowore bail. He was granted bail with the tune of N100 million with two sureties in like sum. For his second defendant, he was granted N50m bail with one surety in like sum.
They seized Sowore’s travelling documents and directing him to deposit N50m as a bond that he would be available to face his trial. The Defendants were also barred by the court from participating in any form of protest.
Whereas Sowore was equally prohibited from travelling outside Abuja without leave of the court, Bakare was on the other hand, ordered not to travel outside Oshogbo in Osun State, pending the conclusion of the trial.
Dissatisfied with the conditions, the Defendants filed an application wherein they pleaded the trial court for bail variation.
Following their application, the court, in another ruling on October 21, 2019, varied some of the conditions by waiving the initial requirement for Sowore to deposit N50m as bond, even as it also reduced Bakare’s bail sum from N50m to N30m.
The trial court however retained all the other bail conditions it earlier imposed on the Defendants.
Consequently, Sowore, took the matter before the Court of Appeal.
When the matter was called up on Wednesday, a three-man panel of Justices of the appellate court struck out the notice of appeal on the ground that it was defective.
