Activists under the aegis of TakeItBack Movement have lamented the Convener of RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore, may miss the burial of his brother Olajide because he is under a “city detention.”
Olajide was killed by suspected kidnappers on Saturday in Edo State.
The group, in a statement by its Director of Communications, Dr. Chidi Nwanyanwu, asked the Federal Government to drop charges against Sowore.
Sowore is being prosecuted before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on treasonable felony charges.
The activist was charged following his call for ‘RevolutionNow’ protests, which the prosecution alleged were aimed at toppling the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).
Justice Ojukwu, on October 4, 2019, granted bail to Sowore in the sum of N100m with two sureties in like sum.
Among other conditions, the judge ordered that one of Sowore’s sureties must deposit N50m in the court’s bank account as security.
She also ordered that during the period of the trial, Sowore must not travel out of Abuja.
But following an application by the defendants, the judge on October 21, 2019, struck down the condition requiring Sowore to deposit N50m as security.
The statement read, “The TakeItBack Movement seizes this moment to once again commiserate with our convener, his family and millions of his supporters and well-wishers over the assassination of Jide Sowore, Yele Sowore’s younger brother.
“In line with our previous statement dated the 4th of September, 2021, we insist that the killing of Mr. Jide Sowore by yet to be identified men of the underworld is highly reprehensible and we will continue to hold the regime of Mohammad Buhari responsible for this gruesome murder.
“Needless to say, Omoyele Sowore who remains the breadwinner of his family has not only had his brother taken away from him by the draconic and highly incompetent regime, but the Buhari Junta is also preventing him from performing his role as the first son of the family over the burial arrangement of his brother.
“In like manner, the Buhari Junta has also prevented Yele Sowore from playing the role of a father to his children and a husband to his wife over the past two years. Aside from keeping him in illegal detention for five months, the regime has kept him under city detention since 2019.
“But within these two years of unjust incarceration, Sowore has been illegally imprisoned on two occasions, tortured and shot at and nearly assassinated by police.
“It is in the light of the aforementioned that we seize this moment to demand his immediate and unconditional release from city detention. Forthwith, we also demand that government immediately drops all charges against him and other political prisoners who like Sowore have been subjected to unjust detention and malicious prosecution.
“While calling for a permanent end to insecurity and blood letting in the country, we also agree with millions of Nigerians that the Buhari regime and the system he represents is totally incapable of providing even the basics of governance to the Nigerian people and should be sent packing without delay.”
