Magistrate court orders Sowore, others to remain in detention, adjourns case

A magistrate court in Abuja has again adjourned the case filed against publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, and others without granting or denying them bail. Instead, the magistrate adjourned the case to January 8.

Sowore was arrested alongside four protesters during a #CrossOverProtest held on the eve of new year in Abuja. After spending four days in police detention, the protesters were arraigned before the Wuse Zone 2 court by police on Monday on charges of unlawful assembly, criminal conspiracy and inciting public disturbance.

Taye Maibel, in her judgement on Monday, ordered that the accused be transferred to Kuje Correctional Prison detention till Tuesday when the court will hear the bail application.

However, Maibel, in a fresh judgement on Tuesday evening, after listening to the counsels of the parties involved, again ordered that Sowore and other protesters be transferred to Force CIID in Area 10, in Abuja.

Narrating how he was arrested and brutalised by the police, the former presidential candidate said the encounter with the police convinced him that brutality of citizens by security operatives has not ended.

“The policemen that were brought to the place of the protest were beating people and I came down from my car where I was covering the protest to stop them from beating people.

“They pounced on me, and broke my nose. It was carried out by a mobile police officer who loaded about seven vehicles with mobile police officers well armed.

“It was an attempt to stop him from terrorising Nigerians in view of #EndSARS protest and the position of the country on police brutality that they pounced on me and broke my nose. When they took me to their Abattoir, I discovered that the Nigerian government has not ended SARS. They mobilised SARS to beat us up and force us into detention,” Sowore said.

The police accused the protesters of unlawful assembly, criminal conspiracy and inciting public disturbance.