“Sowore, Ejimakor, and Kanu’s brother stood where many are too afraid to stand — and for that, they deserve not just bail, but applause”
A Magistrate Court sitting in Kuje, Abuja, has granted bail to activist Omoyele Sowore, Prince Emmanuel Kanu (brother of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu), Barrister Aloy Ejimakor (Kanu’s lawyer), and ten others who were arrested during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest.
The 13 defendants were arraigned on charges of unlawful assembly and incitement, following their peaceful demonstration demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, whose prolonged detention continues to embarrass Nigeria before the international community.
Each was granted bail of ₦500,000 with two sureties in like sum, alongside conditions including verified NIN, three-year tax clearance, and passport deposits — an administrative mountain that typifies Nigeria’s justice system: granting freedom on paper while trapping citizens in red tape.
A Government Terrified of Its Own Citizens
This case is not merely about bail; it is a window into a nation terrified of its own conscience.
Peaceful protest, a fundamental human right, has become in Nigeria a coded act of rebellion. When citizens carry placards instead of guns, the government responds with cuffs, teargas, and detention cells.
From Lekki Toll Gate to Abuja, the Nigerian state has perfected a dark art — silencing voices with the law it refuses to obey.
🕳️ Selective Justice and Political Hypocrisy
Those who shout “rule of law” during election campaigns are often the first to trample it in power.
This same government that grants bail to bandits and pleads amnesty for terrorists suddenly discovers “national security” when it’s Sowore or Kanu’s lawyer on the street.
It is political hypocrisy at its most vulgar.
When power fears truth more than corruption, democracy is already on life support.
🏛️ A Flicker of Judicial Courage
The Kuje magistrate’s ruling is a rare flicker of judicial courage — a reminder that despite executive intimidation, the courts can still draw a thin line between law and tyranny.
Yet, until Nnamdi Kanu himself regains his freedom, this remains half a victory.
True justice is not measured by bail receipts, but by the freedom to speak without fear.
💬 Final Word
Every activist arrested for dissent represents the death of a thousand citizens’ voices.
Sowore, Ejimakor, and Kanu’s brother stood where many are too afraid to stand — and for that, they deserve not just bail, but applause.
The question remains: When will Nigeria stop treating courage as a crime?
Police Re-Arrest Sowore on New Charges After Meeting Bail Conditions
Sowore, a prominent voice for democracy and accountability, had earlier been granted bail alongside ten others, including Nnamdi Kanu’s brother and their lawyer, after being detained for participating in a peaceful protest calling for the release of the IPOB leader. However, in a dramatic twist that underscores Nigeria’s worsening disregard for the rule of law, plain-clothed officers reportedly swooped in on Sowore
The Nigerian Police on Friday rearrested human rights advocate and #FreeNnamdiKanuNow campaigner, Omoyele Sowore, moments after he fulfilled his bail conditions and exited the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja.
Sowore, a prominent voice for democracy and accountability, had earlier been granted bail alongside ten others, including Nnamdi Kanu’s brother and their lawyer, after being detained for participating in a peaceful protest calling for the release of the IPOB leader.
However, in a dramatic twist that underscores Nigeria’s worsening disregard for the rule of law, plain-clothed officers reportedly swooped in on Sowore outside the court premises and whisked him away to an undisclosed location.
A Nation Addicted to Silencing Voices of Truth
This latest act by the police is yet another episode in the long, shameful pattern of state intimidation targeted at those who dare to speak truth to power. Nigeria’s government appears to be running a democracy that behaves more like a military junta — where activists are treated as criminals while corrupt officials walk free.
What message does this send to the world — that Nigeria’s legal system is a revolving door of repression? That bail means nothing if the police can simply re-arrest you at the court gate? This is not justice; it is harassment dressed in uniform.
Omoyele Sowore, love him or hate him, remains a symbol of the civic struggle for a freer, more accountable Nigeria. To keep recycling his persecution is to deepen the wound of Nigeria’s democracy — a democracy now gasping for breath under the weight of tyranny disguised as governance.
