FG Drops Treason Charge Against Sowore After Judge’s Last Warning To Dismiss Case
The Federal Government has withdrawn its case against Omoyele Sowore, the #RevolutionNow convener, who was accused of treason.
A Notice of Discontinuance was officially stamped by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday.
It was signed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), on Wednesday.
The Notice stated that the complainant, the Federal Government of Nigeria, has decided to discontinue the case.
The notice reads, “By virtue of the power conferred on me under Section 174 (1) (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, Section 107 (1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and all other powers enabling me in that behalf, I Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN intend to discontinue Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/235/2019.”
SaharaReporters disclosed that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja reiterated his warning on Wednesday, threatening to dismiss the dubious treason charges against Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 general elections, if the Nigerian government failed to proceed with the case after five years.
The judge issued this caution during the latest hearing of the case, which was scheduled for trial but couldn’t proceed as planned.
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The primary defendant was unable to enter his plea due to the introduction of a new prosecution lawyer, A.Y Tahir, who cited the transfer of the initial attorney handling the case out of the Ministry of Justice as her reason for taking over.
Tahir requested an adjournment to familiarize herself with the case, a request contested by the defense counsel, Marshal Abubakar, who accused the prosecution of stalling the proceedings.
Abubakar argued that the government had sought five adjournments since the case began anew and urged the court to dismiss it, alleging that the government intended to detain his client indefinitely within the country.
He highlighted that Sowore, the first defendant, had been restricted within Nigeria for five years, unable to visit his family in the United States.
Additionally, counsel for the second defendant, Olumide Fusika, expressed apologies for his client’s absence, attributing it to his re-arrest inside the court, which occurred on December 6, 2019, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Abubakar added that since the arrest, they had been unable to determine the whereabouts of the second defendant.
In response, the prosecution urged the court to issue a bench warrant for the second defendant’s arrest since they couldn’t locate him.
The judge expressed dissatisfaction with the prosecution’s excuses and tactics, warning that he would dismiss the case if they weren’t prepared.
He instructed the prosecution to either produce the second defendant at the next adjourned date or proceed with the prosecution of the first defendant. Failure to comply would result in the case’s dismissal.
The judge adjourned the proceedings to April 15, 2024. Sowore’s supporters present at the court called on the government to halt the alleged sham trial against him, asserting that he hadn’t violated any laws.
Their placards bore inscriptions such as #FreeSowore, #EndShamTrial, #JailBuhari, #JailElectionRiggers, and #JailEmefiele. Human rights activist Deji Adeyanju and Ogochukwu Okoro, the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the African Action Congress, stood in solidarity with Sowore in court.
