Sowore: Outrage Greets His Re-arrest In Court; Falana Says Dictatorship At Its Worst

By Gideon Njoku

The adjectives used to describe the re-arrest, in Court, Friday, of Omoyele Sowore, by dozens of security personnel from the Directorate of State Security, DSS, were like claps of thunder.

“Horrendous, barbaric, contempt of Court”, thundered his lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN.

“I am ashamed of being a lawyer. The Court had been desecrated”, another SAN, Olu Adegboruwa intoned.

And from a former Minister for Education and former Presidential aspirant, Oby Ezekwesili, a warning to  President Muhammadu Buhari: “It is in your interest that nothing happens to Sowore”

The invasion of an Abuja Court, Friday, by operatives of the DSS where they forcefully re-arrested Sowore, took most Nigerians by surprise, and attracted strong condemnation from several quarters.

Sowore, Publisher, Sahara Reporters, a Presidential candidate in the 2019 Presidential Election, and Convener of #RevolutionNow, was in  DSS detention for 125 days. He was arrested and charged with Treasonable Felony for convening a protest against the state of the nation tagged #RevolutionNow. Detained with him was Olawale Bakare.

Taken to Court, the trial Judge, Hon. Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, granted both men bail in rather stringent terms. Reviewed later, they met the bail conditions, but the DSS wouldn’t release them. They gave one reason or the other, including: “The Sureties should come for them.”

Series of protests and condemnations did not change the DSS stand. Not did Justice Ojukwu’s threats.

But, on Thursday, angry, the Judge gave the DSS 24hours to obey Court orders and release them on bail . She also fined the DSS to the tune of N100,000.00, only. The same day, some elderly women from Sowore’s village in Ondo, travelled all the way to Abuja and protested, bare-breasted, asking for his release.

A few hours later, the DSS released both men, and even paid up the fine. Sowore came out from detention, smiling broadly, making a victory sign with two fingers.

Nigerians cheered.

But it was short-lived. And so was Sowore’s victory sign.

Friday morning, he had appeared in Court before Justice Ojukwu just so the Judge would confirm compliance by the DSS. She did, and adjourned the case against Sowore and Bakare to February, 2020. She even praised the DSS  for obeying her order, reminding the Agency that “nobody is above the law.”

If only she knew.

Hell was soon let loose as the next case was called, and Sowore stepped out of the court.

Laying in wait for him and Bakare were over a dozen DSS personnel. They made to arrest him. A struggle ensued. He extricated himself from them, and dashed into the court for protection. They did not retreat. They also dashed into the court with him, guns in hand, allegedly cocked.

Justice Ojukwu and a number of Counsels fled to safety. But a number of lawyers and other spectators rose against what they called  “a desecration of the Court, and an assault on the Judiciary.” They struggled with the DSS personnel over Sowore – inside the Court. A number of those in court, fought to prevent his arrest by the DSS. There were screams. Cameras clicked away. Sowore was wrestled to the ground.

He told Reporters that they came to kill him; that they had promised to kill him at their facility when he refused to a deal with them; that they told him he would not walk out of their facility alive.

He told Nigerians not to be afraid; He told them to stand firm; that Nigeria belonged to all of them.

But after all that, the DSS overpowered everybody. They had their way. And, Sowore and Bakare were driven to the DSS headquarters in Falana’s car. They are back to their Cell at the DSS headquarters.

Not a few Nigerians agree that the court invasion was a  desecration of the  Temple of Justice.

SERAP says its an abomination.

Falana, shocked, says Nigeria has never experienced anything like this before.

” This development is horrendous, bizzare and a barbaric contempt of Court never witnessed under even the most brutal of past dictators that has ever ruled Nigeria.

“Under the military regime, the so-called enemies of the government would not be arrested in the web of the court which is considered a sanctuary.

“What we witnessed today is alien to Nigeria.”

Justice Ojukwu expressed dismay, and said she fled her Court.

Nobody knows what the Judge or the DSS will do next. Or what Sowore’s fate will be.

The consensus, however, is that the scene witnessed Friday in Abuja is the shame of a nation.