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Hours to expiration of his 45-day detention, Nigerian govt slams Sowore with seven-count charge

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Sowore’s dream to replace Buhari as president back on track

Barely 24 hours to the expiration of his 45-day detention, the Federal Government has slammed a fresh seven-count charge against the convener of #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore.

In the suit dated September 19 and filed at the federal high court in Abuja, the government accused Sowore of treason, money laundering and cyberstalking President Muhammadu Buhari.

Also charged with Sowore in case FHC/ ABJ/CR/235/2019, is Olawale Adebayo Bakare (aka Mandate), who was arrested in Osogbo, Osun state.

According to the charge, the defendants conspired to commit treasonable felony. It read:

“That you Omoyele Stephen Sowore , Male Adult of No 1 Mosafejo Street, Kiribo, Ese-Odo LGA, Ondo State, Olawale Adebayo Bakare {aka Mandate} Male, Adult of Olaiya Arca, Oshogbo LGA Osun State and others at large, under the aegis of Coalition for Revolution (CORE), sometimes in August 2019 in Abuja, Lagos and other parts of Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did conspire amongst yourselves to stage a revolution campaign on 5th day of August 2019 tagged #RevolutionNow” aimed at removing the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during his term of office otherwise known than by constitutional means”.

READ ALSO: DSS, Police take over Sowore’s SaharaReporters

The government also accused Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 elections, of “cyberstalking”.

“You knowingly sent messages by means of press interview granted on ‘Arise Television’ network which you knew to be false for the purpose of causing insult, enmity, hatred and ill-will on the person of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the suit read.

Another count accusing him of illegal transfer claimed Sowore in April 2019 “transferred by means of swift wire, the sum of $19,975 from his UBA account credited by City Bank, New York into Sahara Reporters Media Foundation GTB account with the aim of concealing or disguising the illicit origin of the funds”.

The suit also claimed that a similar transaction involving the sum of $16,975 also occurred on July 2019.

These funds transfer, the government said, was contrary to section 15 (1) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.

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