• Bail
• Custody
• Cyber stalking
• Sowore

SOWORE REJECTS POLICE BAIL CONDITIONS, OPTS TO REMAIN IN CUSTODY

• 

  Nicolas Adekeye / 3 months
• 0
• 2 min read

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has rejected the bail conditions set by the Nigerian police, choosing instead to remain in custody. Sowore was summoned to the Force Criminal Intelligence Department (FCID) in Abuja on Monday, January 27, for questioning over a viral video in which he accused police officers of extortion. The police had granted Sowore administrative bail, but with conditions that he deemed “unreasonable.” According to Sowore, the police required him to produce a level 16 civil servant as a guarantor and surrender his international passport. Sowore refused, stating that he would not participate in any arrangement that undermines his personal integrity. Sowore’s lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, also rejected the bail conditions, citing a Court of Appeal ruling that declared such conditions illegal. Falana argued that involving civil servants or public officers in bail for people accused of criminal offenses is not a practice in Nigeria or any other civilized country. Sowore has been charged with resisting and obstructing public officers, disobedience to lawful orders, cyberstalking, and actions intended to prevent arrests. His arrest and detention have sparked reactions on social media, with supporters questioning the rationale behind the stringent bail conditions. As of now, Sowore remains in police custody, with his legal team preparing to challenge the charges and bail conditions in court. Sowore tweeted, “It is a wrap! The Nigeria Police Force is holding me in custody until further notice, following my refusal to accept their illegal bail condition. #egbetokunmustgo #RevolutionNow”