Wole Soyinka storms Abuja court for Sowore's trial

Wole Soyinka3
Wole Soyinka, Shehu Sani in court.

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, is present at the federal high court in Abuja to witness the trial of Omoyele Sowore, convener of the “Revolution Now Movement”- a protest organised on August 5, 2019, which the Buhari government saw as an attempt to topple its administration.

Soyinka arrived at the court about 8:50 am, five minutes before Sowore arrived at the court.

The professor was also joined by a former lawmaker, Shehu Sani, the former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Chidi Odinkalu and popular activist Deji Adeyanju, in solidarity with Sowore.

Sowore and Olawale Bakare, his co-accused, whose trial resumes today, are standing trial on seven counts of treasonable felony, fraud, cyber-stalking and insulting the president.

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The trial stalled yesterday due to the absence of the presiding judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu.

Sowore was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on August 3 ahead of the nationwide protest.

He was released after 124 days in custody but forcibly rearrested at a federal high court in Abuja — less than 24 hours after his release.

He was eventually released on December 24, 2019, following the outcry of Nigerians on the government to obey the court order which sets him free but Nigeria’s attorney-general and justice minister Abubakar Malami said he was released on compassionate grounds.

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