A Magistrate’s Court in Kuje, Abuja, on Friday granted bail to human rights activist and publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore; Aloy Ejimakor, a member of Nnamdi Kanu’s legal team; and Prince Emmanuel Kanu, brother to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The court also granted bail to ten other protesters arrested during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow demonstration held in Abuja on October 20.
All 13 defendants were arraigned on charges bordering on unlawful assembly, inciting public disturbance, and breach of peace.
Presiding Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’Id granted each defendant bail for N500,000, with two sureties in like sum. The court further directed that the defendants present verified National Identification Numbers (NINs), three-year tax clearance certificates, and submit their international passports as part of the bail conditions.
Sowore was reportedly arrested on Wednesday, October 23, at the Federal High Court premises in Abuja, shortly after attending Kanu’s terrorism trial to show solidarity. Ejimakor, Emmanuel Kanu, and the other protesters had earlier been arrested during the October 20 protest and remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Their arrest and detention sparked widespread criticism from civil society organisations and human rights groups, who condemned the actions as an attempt to suppress dissent and stifle lawful activism.
