A Magistrate Court in Kuje, Abuja, has granted bail to human rights activist and SaharaReporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, along with several others arrested during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in the Federal Capital Territory.
Among those granted bail are Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu; his brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu; and 11 other protesters.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’I’d, issued the bail order on Friday following the arraignment of the defendants on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace.
According to the ruling, Sowore and the other defendants were granted bail in the sum of ₦500,000 each, on the condition that they present a verified National Identification Number (NIN).
The magistrate further directed that each defendant must provide a three-year tax clearance certificate and submit their passport as part of the bail conditions.
Sowore was arrested on Thursday by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force shortly after he left the Federal High Court in Abuja.
His arrest, which was captured in videos that circulated online, sparked outrage among civil society organisations and human rights advocates, who described it as another attempt to stifle dissent and silence activism