Adeyanju faults revocation of Sowore’s bail, urges Tinubu, DSS to withdraw charges

Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has criticised the revocation of the bail granted to activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, describing the court’s decision as excessively harsh.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Adeyanju argued that the circumstances surrounding Sowore’s absence in court did not warrant the withdrawal of his bail, noting that the activist had attended the previous adjourned sitting despite the court not sitting and had also formally sought an adjournment.

“The decision to revoke Omoyele Sowore’s bail appears rather harsh in the circumstances. Having previously granted him bail on self-recognizance, the court ought to have given greater consideration to the fact that he was present in court on the previous adjourned date when the court did not sit, had written to seek an adjournment, and currently has no counsel on record formally representing him,” Adeyanju said.

He further maintained that Sowore had consistently appeared before the courts even when facing more serious allegations in the past.

“Given that he has previously faced far more serious allegations, including treasonable felony related charges, without absconding, it is difficult to justify the conclusion that he would evade trial over the present charges,” he added.

Adeyanju stressed that the judiciary must continue to uphold the principle of presumption of innocence and avoid actions that could undermine public confidence in the justice system.

“The courts must always be guided by the presumption of innocence, particularly where a defendant has not shown a pattern of disregard for the judicial process.

Both the court and the prosecution should be careful not to create the impression that this is a deliberate attempt to prevent him from participating in the next general election,” he stated.

The lawyer also appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to discontinue the case against Sowore.

“Furthermore, I call on President Bola Tinubu who was a fervent critic as an opposition leader and the Director-General of DSS to discontinue the charge against Omoyele Sowore in the interest of pluralism and justice,” Adeyanju said.