50 CSOs drag Nigerian govt to UN, AU over Sowore’s matter

Following the failure of the Nigerian government to free Omoyele Sowore from prison, 50 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have dragged his matter to the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU).

They are praying the two bodies to interven in the matter and help secure his release from the custody of the Nigerian secret police, the Department of State Security (DSS).

Among the 50 CSOs are the Amnesty International, Media Rights Agenda, All Workers’ Convergence, Afrika Movement for Freedom and Justice, ARTICLE 19 Senegal/West Africa, Open Society Justice Initiative, Centre for Constitutional Rights, Moshood Abiola Vanguard for Democracy and the Movement For People’s Rights.

The DSS on August 3, arrested Sowore for planning to stage a protest he tagged ‘RevolutionNow’ and detained him under the 2013 Terrorism Act.

The CSOs made their appeal to the UN and AU on August 23, 2019.

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However, despite the September 24, 2019 order by a Federal High Court in Abuja, that Sowore should be released with immediate effect, the DSS has continued to keep him in its custody.

The programme director of the Media Rights Agenda, Mr Ayode Longe, in a statement on Friday, described as anti-democratic for Sowore to have been arrested for merely exercising his constitutional right of assembly, association and expression.

“It is the height of impunity to continue to detain him even after a court of competent jurisdiction has granted him bail. The DSS must immediately and unconditionally release Sowore.

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