The President Muhammadu Buhari government is reportedly contemplating reporting Justice Taiwo Taiwo to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for grantin
The President Muhammadu Buhari government is reportedly contemplating reporting Justice Taiwo Taiwo to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for granting bail to the convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore.
Justice Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ruled that the previous order that permitted the Department of State Security (DSS) to detain Sowore for 45 days, had elapsed and ordered his release.
According to The Nation, “Sowore’s bail is likely to bring trouble for that judge. A report has been prepared to report him to NJC in view of the fact that, as far as this country, it is known that a person charged for treasonable felony has no bail option. So, the security and intelligence community in the country is shocked by the judgement.
“And there is a consensus that the judgement should not only be appealed, but that the NJC should be petitioned about the conduct and abuse of power by the judge.”
Sowore, a journalist and human rights activist, was arrested on 3rd August, 2019 after calling for #RevolutionNow protest. He is still being detained at a DSS facility and may likely be arraigned on Monday before the Federal High Court in Abuja. He is to be arraigned on seven counts of treasonable felony, money laundering and cybercrimes which was instituted against him by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The Department of State Service, which has been detaining the former presidential candidate since August 3, continues to hold him in custody in violation of the court order granting him bail six days ago. Despite meeting the bail condition on September 25, Sowore has not been released by the DSS.
The prosecution alleged that the defendant committed the offence by allegedly staging “a revolution campaign on August 5, 2019 aimed at removing the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The prosecution also accused them of committing the actual offence of treasonable felony in breach of section, 4(1)(c) of the Criminal Code Act, by using the platform of Coalition for Revolution, in August 2019 in Abuja, Lagos and other parts of Nigeria, to stage the #RevolutionNow protest allegedly aimed at removing the President.
It also accused Sowore of cybercrime offences in violation of section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, by “knowingly” sending “messages by means of press interview granted on Arise Television network which you knew to be false for the purpose of causing insult, enmity, hatred and ill-will on the person of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
It also accused Sowore of money laundering offences in breach of section 15(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 by alleged transferring by means of swift wire, various sums of money from his United Bank of Africa Plc account with number 3002246104 into Sahara Reporters Media Foundation’s account with Guaranty Trust Bank in order to conceal the origin of the funds.
Meanwhile, Lagos lawyers, Mr Monday Ubani and Mr Jiti Ogunye, on Saturday condemned an alleged plot to drag Justice Taiwo Taiwo, before the National Judicial Council for disciplinary action for granting bail to Sowore. Reacting to the report, Ubani, a former 2nd Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, said the attitude of law enforcement agencies could destroy the legal profession and called on lawyers to rise up against the menace.
