After spending 124 days in the Department of the State Security Service (DSS) custody in Abuja, Omoyele Sowore, the convener of #revolutionnow, has been released by DSS on bail.
Sowore who is also the publisher of Sahara Reporters was arrested on Saturday, August 3, 2019, by DSS operatives at 1 a.m. ahead of his planned revolution now protest on Monday, August 5, 2019.
Report monitored from Sahara Reporters said he was released on Thursday evening after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered his release for the third time and threatened to jail DSS Director.
Recall that Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of Federal High Court, Abuja had on Monday granted bail to Sowore.
The court on October 4 granted bail of N100 million to Mr Sowore and and his co-accused, Olawale Bakare, N50 million and ordered Mr Sowore should produce two sureties in like sum.
Of that amount, N50 million was to be deposited with the court while the balance was to be put in place should Mr Sowore jump bail.
The court said Mr Sowore’s sureties must deposit tax clearance certificates for three years, 2016 to 2018, and documents of landed properties in Abuja.
The sureties were also to deposit affidavit of means for their assets.
The court ruled that when released after meeting his bail conditions, Mr Sowore should remain in Abuja till the case is determined while his co-accused, Olawale Bakare, should not leave his place of residence in Osogbo except for the trial.
The court also said Mr Bakare should present one surety and a bail bond of N50 million.
But on Monday, Justice Ojukwu said the court set aside the N50 million security deposit by one of the sureties and also reduced the N50 million bail of the second defendant, Mr Bakare.
Sowore, who was arrested on August 3 by Nigeria’s DSS for planning a protest popularised with the hashtag #RevolutionNow, was granted bail for the second time on Friday.
A previous bail granted the defendant on September 24 was not complied with by the DSS.
The two accused are facing trial on seven counts of treasonable felony, fraud, cyber-stalking, and insulting President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr Sowore’s lawyer, Femi Falana, defended his client’s choice of the word “revolution” for the August 5 protest that later held in some parts of the country.
