Politics

Sowore Ought To Have Been Arraigned By Now – Falana Reacts

Published

5 years ago

August 6, 2019

Popular Nigerian human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana has said Omoyele Sowore should have been arraigned by now.

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has expressed disappointment that the convener of #RevolutionNow protests, Omoyele Sowore, has not been arraigned, Punch Metro reports.The publisher of Sahara Reporters and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the February 2019 elections was arrested in the early hours of Saturday by operatives of the Department of State Services in a hotel in Lagos.

The state agency said Sowore was arrested on account of the #RevolutionNow protest which he had spearheaded.

The protests held on Monday, August 5, 2019 in some states of the federation.

Security agents clamped down on the Monday protesters, and made arrests. Twenty-six of those arrested were arraigned in a Lagos court on Tuesday.

Sowore was moved to Abuja on Sunday morning and is currently being detained in the custody of the DSS.

Speaking with our Correspondent on Tuesday, Falana said he expected Sowore to have been arraigned on Monday because, by law, a suspect should not be kept in detention without arraignment within 48 hours of arrest.

When asked on Tuesday what he would do on account of the extended detention of the human rights activist, Falana said, “I have sent lawyers to the DSS as of Tuesday morning and I’m awaiting a feedback.”

Falana, who disagreed with the Police that Sowore was liable to be prosecuted for treason for allegedly planning to overthrow a democratically-elected government through a revolution, said arrangements had been made to defend the activist if he is arraigned.