Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has welcomed
\ndecision by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja
\nordering the immediate release of the convener of #RevolutionNow
\nprotest, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, from the custody of the Department of State
\nService as “a victory for the rule of law, human rights and judicial
\nindependence.”<\/p>\n
In a statement, SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare said: “It’s a
\nhuge relief that Sowore will be freed and can finally return to his
\nfamily and journalism work. He should never have been detained in the
\nfirst place. The Nigerian authorities should now withdraw all the
\ncharges against him and allow freedom of expression and media freedom to
\nflourish. It’s good for everyone.”<\/p>\n
SERAP said: “The Nigerian authorities now have to fully comply with this
\nruling by immediately releasing Sowore. The decision is a timely
\nreminder of Nigeria’s constitutional and international obligations to
\nprotect journalists, activists and Nigerians in general, and to put a
\nstop to its current practice of restricting the civic space.”<\/p>\n
The statement read in part: “We hope this decision will make the
\nNigerian authorities and state governors stop and reflect on their
\nongoing crackdown on freedom of expression and media freedom including
\nonline, and also help to put an end to other human rights violations of
\njournalists and citizens in general. Other journalists like Agba Jalingo
\nand Ekanem Ekpo currently being detained, must be immediately and
\nunconditionally released.”<\/p>\n
“If a court found it possible to release Sowore, we are sure that all
\nthe circumstances were studied, and an objective decision was made.”<\/p>\n
It would be recalled that SERAP had on Saturday has sent an open letter
\nto Mr Abukabar Malami, SAN, Attorney General of the Federation and
\nMinister of Justice, urging him to use his position “to without delay
\nenter a nolle prosequi and discontinue the prosecution of the Convener
\nof ‘RevolutionNow’ protest and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Mr Omoyele
\nSowore, and Olawale Bakare, also known as Mandate for apparently
\npolitically motivated charges of treason, fraud and ‘insulting President
\nMuhammadu Buhari’.”<\/p>\n
SERAP said: “We urge you to use your role as a trustee of the public
\ninterest under section 174 of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as
\namended) to end several of similar trumped-up cases going on in several
\nstates.”<\/p>\n
SERAP’s letter read in part: “Sowore’s case and several similar cases
\ninstigated\/brought by state governors make a hideous mockery of
\nNigeria’s criminal justice systems, rule of law, freedom of expression
\nand media freedom. These cases are persecution and not prosecution. As
\nguardian of the public interest, you have a role to end this travesty
\nnow, and to maintain the sanctity and integrity of Nigeria’s justice
\nsystem.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has welcomed decision by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordering the immediate release of the convener of #RevolutionNow protest,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n