Court Frees Sowore, 1 Other Of Alleged Treason

Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court, Abuja, has discharged Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare of alleged treasonable felony preferred against them by the attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.

The court, in its ruling, after counsel for the AGF, A.R. Tahir withdrew the charge, struck out the matter.

“In view of the application made by the attorney-general of the federation, this charge, between Federal Republic of Nigeria and Omoyele Sowore and another, is hereby struck out and the defendants discharged,” he declared.

Justice Nwite also ordered the Department of State Service (DSS) to immediately release three phones and the sum of N10, 000 seized from Sowore during his arrest.

The judge equally ordered the DSS to release a phone belonging to Bakare and the sum of N1,500 confiscated from him on his arrest.

Justice Nwite further ordered that Sowore’s international passport be released to him forthwith.

The order followed an application by lawyer to Sowore and Bakare, Mr Femi Falana (SAN).

Sowore and Bakare (1st and 3nd defendants) were earlier arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu in 2019 before the matter was reassigned to Nwite after Ojukwu was transferred to another jurisdiction.

The federal government had dragged them to court on allegations of treason and attempts to overthrow former President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.