Abuja magistrate Mabel Segun-Bello grants Sowore bail with stiff conditions

#RevolutionNow activist, Omoyele Sowore and four other activists, who were arrested with him on New Year’s Eve in Abuja for holding a protest against bad governance, were on Monday granted bail by a Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Abuja.

The SaharaReports publisher, who was similarly incarcerated after his arrest on August 2 2019 ahead of a planned #RevolutionNow protest, was granted bail in the sum of N20m while the others, whose names were given as Juwon Sanyaolu, Peter Williams, Emmanuel Bulus and Damilare Adenola, were granted more lenient bail of N1million each.

In Sowore’s case, Mabel Segun-Bello, the presiding magistrate said apart from the N20million bail bond, he should also produce two sureties in like sum, one of whom must be a federal civil servant not below grade level 12.

While ruling on the bail application filed by Sowore’s lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, the Chief Magistrate, Mabel Segun-Bello, ruled that the sureties must reside in Abuja metropolis with landed properties and known addresses.

Among the conditions of bail is that Sowore must physically report to the registrar of Federal Capital Territory High Court every Monday and Friday pending the determination of the case against him.

Unlike the former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), in the February 23, 2019 election, who was also barred from travelling outside Abuja and the country, the other defendants were admitted to less stringent bail in the sum of N1million and one surety in like sum.