Convener of the #revolutionnow movement, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that the Department of State Service (DSS) has threatened to kill him after his release on Thursday night.
Mr. Sowore and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, were released when Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, gave an order at the scheduled commencement of the defendants’ trial on charges of treasonable felony.
The drama in court today started when operatives of DSS tried to rearrest Mr. Sowore and Mr. Bakare in front of Justice Ojukwu.
Mr. Sowore, in an interview with Channels TV correspondent, said that the DSS had allegedly told him that he will not walk out of their detention alive.
“It might be my only word on the record before they kill me; this is an attempt to assassinate me in court. They came with guns and they tried to shoot and they dragged me down in front of a judge after I have been granted bail.
“I said it that these are a bunch of lawless people and they were reluctant to respect the order of the court. Now they have shown it to the whole world.
“They tried to break me in prison, sent delegations to me, offering all kinds of things and I refused and they promised that I will not walk out of their detention alive and that is what they have come to implement today.”
The #RevolutionNow convener urged Nigerians not to be afraid and some people have to make the sacrifice for the Country to work.
“What is important for Nigerians to know is that I am not going to give up until every Nigerian benefit from a country that is theirs and I have made it very clear.
“Nobody in Nigeria should be afraid, it is our country and some people have to make the sacrifice for this country to be a country of rule, law and of dignity; and this also involves even judges, if suspects who have been given bail are not safe in court, the judges themselves are not safe.”
He explained that the sudden exit of justice Ojukwu is due to the manner at which the DSS operatives had caused a scene inside the courtroom.
“That is why the judge had to retire hurriedly into her chambers.
“We urge you to hang around so that you can witness this historic day in Nigeria.”
Sowore, a presidential candidate in the February 2019 elections, was arrested on August 3, just days to a planned protest against “bad governance” in the country.
Both he and his co-defendant are facing seven counts bordering on conspiracy to commit treasonable felony in breach of Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, money laundering and cybercrimes, amongst others.
They pleaded not guilty to the charge and were granted bail on October 4, in the sum of N100m and N50m respectively with two sureties in like sum.
They, however, were not released until yesterday.
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