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The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday granted the publisher of SaharaReporters and convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore, bail.
The court released him to the custody of Femi Falana, his counsel, and asked that he deposit his international passport with the court registry within 48 hours.
In his judgement, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, the judge said there was no longer a subsisting order holding the activist in detention.
The court had earlier struck out the application by the Department of Social Security (DSS) to further detain Sowore following the withdrawal of the application by the state counsel.
Sowore’s lawyer, Femi Falana, persuaded the court to order immediate release of his client as the prosecution is no longer interested in detaining him further. But counsel to the DSS, however, challenged the oral application for release saying that a formal suit has been filed where Sowore is being accused of treasonable felony which is a capital offence.
In response counsel to Sowore said the application for bail was withdrawn and the prosecutor’s application for further remand was also withdrawn. He stressed that the new charges can’t metamorphose in a remand order.
Mr Falana urged the court to disregard the submission on the prosecutor. Mr Falana said the prosecutor can not ask the court to detain a citizen prospectively and in anticipation of the arraignment of the defendant order his detention.
Sowore was arrested on August 3, two days before the rally tagged #Revolutionnow. The Federal Government accused him of plotting to overthrow the President Muhmmadu Buhari-led administration.