Absence of Sahara Reporters in court stalls Sowore’s arraignment

The scheduled arraignment of Omoyele Sowore and his publication, Sahara Reporters, before the Federal High Court in Abuja was stalled on Wednesday due to the prosecution’s inability to serve the charges on Sahara Reporters, the second defendant.

The case, which involves newly filed charges of conspiracy, forgery, and incitement to instigate mutiny, was slated for arraignment before trial judge Emeka Nwite.

However, the court was informed that Sahaara Reporters had not been served with the court summons.

The prosecution counsel explained that efforts to serve the second defendant through substituted means, by publishing the summons, had not been successful, as the publication was not ready.

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Mr Nwite consequently adjourned the matter until 15 September for arraignment.

The judge earlier on Tuesday gave a ruling ordering six banks and financial platforms to release Mr Sowore’s account details and statements to the police. The Nigerian police requested the information for an ongoing investigation into what they touted as terrorism financing and money laundering allegations against Mr Sowore.

The new charges

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the forgery case scheduled to come up for arraignment but stalled on Wednesday stemmed from a report published by Sahara Reporters and Mr Sowore’s social media post.

All the three counts charged in the case touched on a police signal allegedly forged and circulated by Mr Sowore and Sahara Reporters.

The first count alleged that on 30 July, Mr Sowore and Sahara Reporters conspired to commit a felony through an act of forgery in violation of section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

In the second count with more particulars of the alleged forgery, the police accused Mr Sowore and Sahara Reporters of forging “a police wireless message purported to have been signed by the Principal Staff Officer to the Inspector-General of Police.” The prosecution said this act is punishable under Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

The third count, which named just Mr Sowore, alleged that the activist, on 31 July, “did intentionally post a fake police signal and other inciting materials” on his Facebook page “with the intention to incite members of the force and the general public to embark on a mutiny against the federal government.” This alleged offence was said to be punishable under section 114 of the Penal Code Law.

Speaking with journalists after Wednesday’s court session, defence lawyer Marshall Abubakar said he would challenge the competence of the charges, describing them as frivolous and unjustified.

He said that there was no basis for his client to enter a plea to such charges.

Escalating battle

On Tuesday, he trial judge issued an order in separate proceedings directing six banks and financial platforms – UBA Plc, GTB plc, ZENITH Bank Plc, Opay Digital Services Limited, Moniepoint and Kuda Microfinance Bank Limited – to release Mr Sowore’s account details to the police.

He ordered the banks “to furnish the applicant through the office of the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit account opening package/mandate card, certified true copy of the statement of account reflecting transfers with account numbers of both inflows and outflows” from January 2024 to date.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that that the request for the bank account information and statements was a new stage in the escalating battle between the Nigerian police and Mr Sowore.

READ ALSO: Court orders six banks to furnish police with account details linked to Sowore

The activist has been increasingly critical of the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, over the tenure extension granted him through a controversial amendment of the Police Act last year.

In an ongoing case filed against Mr Sowore in January, the police charged him with cybercrime for referring to Mr Egbetokun as an “Illegal IGP'”.

Mr Sowore continues referring to Mr Egbetokun as an ‘Illegal IGP’, regardless of the charges, as he also relentlessly criticises the IGP’s leadership of the police force over alleged ineptitude, corruption and favouritism.

Earlier this month, he alleged on social media that Mr Egbetokun unduly awarded his mistress, a police officer, an undeserved promotion. The police have denied the allegations, maintaining that the promotion exercise was absolutely based on merit.

The police detained him over the allegation and other critical remarks he shared on social media about the police and Mr Egbetokun. He was released from custody days after his arrest.

During his detention, he claimed police officers broke into his cell and harmed him on his right wrist, describing the arrest as politically motivated.

The police commissioner in charge of the Special Intervention Squad, Abayomi Shogunle, denied any brutality, explaining that Mr Sowore was invited over two petitions but he refused to make a statement.

Mr Sowore’s arrest came less than two weeks after playing active roles in the 21 July protest of retired police officers at the Force Headquarters in Abuja against the poor retirement and pension packages that have left them impoverished.

(NAN)