Abuja high court reduces Sowore's Draconian bail conditions and reduces the fee payable

FORMER presidential candidate and Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore has had his bail conditions revoked by an Abuja high court after his lawyers appealed the Draconian terms imposed when he was first detained in August.

Earlier this year, men of the Department of State Security (DSS), picked up Mr Sowore in Lagos as he was planning to organise a series of nationwide demonstrations under the banner #RevolutionNow. On September 24, Mr Sowore was granted bail by a federal high court in Abuja which ruled that he should be set free upon the surrendering of his international passport.

However, the bail conditions were regarded as too stringent and Mr Sowore's lawyers appealed them. This afternoon am Abuja federal high court reduced the bail terms for Mr Sowore and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare.

In September, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu had imposed a N100m bail bond on Mr Sowore while Mr Bakare got N50m, following charges of treasonable felony levelled against them. Mr Sowore and Mr Bakare were arraigned on a seven-count charge of treasonable felony, cyberstalking and money laundering.

Today, the judge reduced Mr Sowore’s bail bond from N100m to N50m, while Mr Bakare’s bail was reduced from N50m to N20m. She also ruled that the sureties to the defendants are no longer required to deposit evidence of the funds with the court registrar.

In her ruling, the judge said she found it difficult to believe a man of Mr Sowore’s pedigree did not have anyone to deposit N50m for him. She consequently reduced the bail terms and adjourned the matter until November 6 and 7.