Centre For Change Demands Sowore’s Release, Slams Cybercrime Charges

The Centre for Change has called for the immediate and unconditional release of activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, following his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

In a statement issued, the organisation condemned the revocation of Sowore’s bail and described his prosecution under the Cybercrime Act as an attack on free speech and political dissent.

The statement, signed by the group’s president, Joe Okei-Odumakin, criticised the decision of the court and what it described as the “Gestapo treatment” allegedly meted out to Sowore by operatives of the Department of State Services within the court premises.

Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had ordered Sowore’s remand after revoking the bail earlier granted to him over his alleged failure to appear in court for trial in a case involving cybercrime-related offences.

Sowore, who is also the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress and convener of the #RevolutionNow Movement, is being prosecuted by the DSS over posts published on his X and Facebook accounts in 2025 in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “a criminal.”

The court ordered that he remain in custody until June 24, when his application seeking to set aside the order revoking his bail is scheduled to be heard.

Reacting to the development, the Centre for Change said it “strongly condemns” the decision to remand the activist, insisting that he neither jumped bail nor attempted to flee the country.

“He did not jump bail nor attempt to escape from Nigeria,” the organisation stated.

According to the group, the charges against Sowore amount to “a direct attack on free speech and political dissent as guaranteed in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The organisation warned that criminalising free speech could undermine democratic values and weaken citizens’ confidence in democratic institutions.

“Criminalising free speech sets a dangerous precedent for our fledgling democracy. A healthy democratic culture thrives on criticism, debate and accountability,” the statement read.

The group also questioned the impartiality of the judiciary in the matter, recalling that Sowore had previously applied for Justice Umar to recuse himself from the case over allegations of bias.

“How can a judge who has already been accused of bias in a case insist on carrying on with the trial?” Okei-Odumakin asked.

She argued that the judge ought to have stepped aside to allow the matter to be reassigned if there was no vested interest in the case.

“Justice cannot be seen to be done when defendants are denied basic procedural safeguards,” she added.

The Centre for Change subsequently demanded Sowore’s unconditional release, the withdrawal of all cybercrime charges linked to his political expression and free speech, and respect for the constitutional rights of Nigerians to freedom of expression, association and political participation.

“Sowore’s detention is not just an attack on one man. It is an attack on every Nigerian’s right to speak truth to power without fear of reprisal. We call on the judiciary, the DSS and the Federal Government to uphold the rule of law and free him now,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Sowore has assured his supporters that he will remain resolute in his pursuit of justice despite the ongoing legal proceedings and his temporary detention.