Skip to main content

New York Resident Writes Gbajabiamila, Fayemi, El-Rufai Over Sowore’s Detention

September 27, 2019

The bizarre charges against Omoyele Sowore and the continued harassment and detention of journalists doing their lawful jobs in Nigeria has tarnished Nigeria’s reputation in the international community.

Image

A resident of New York, United States of America, Ademola Bello, has called on Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, and Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, to intervene in the continued detention of pro-democracy activist and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on Tuesday ordered the Department of State Services to release Sowore on bail but three days after that ruling, the agency was yet to comply.

Addressing a letter to Gbajabiamila and the others on Friday over the matter, Bello said that the continued detention of Sowore had tarnished Nigeria’s reputation in the international community.

He said, “It is unfortunate that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has a penchant for violating court orders.

“The bizarre charges against Omoyele Sowore and the continued harassment and detention of journalists doing their lawful jobs in Nigeria has tarnished Nigeria’s reputation in the international community.

“Your (Gbajabiamila, Fayemi, el-Rufai) silence while the rights of Omoyele Sowore and other unlawfully detained journalists and activists are being violated is like fiddling while Rome burns.

“By the way, the three of you did not acknowledge receiving the open letter email Columbia University, an Ivy League school, sent you last week concerning Omoyele Sowore’s continued detention. It is shameful.”

Bello also called for all the “bogus” charges levelled against Sowore to be immediately dropped.