Sowore is standing trial alongside Olawale Bakare (Mandate) who was
charged for the same offence.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, the presiding judge in the treasonable felony
case brought against the pro-democracy campaigner, Omoyele Sowore,
will any moment from now give her ruling on the bail application of
the activist.
Sowore is standing trial alongside Olawale Bakare (Mandate) who was
charged for the same offence.
Ojukwu stood down the matter to 1:30 pm for ruling after listening to
the arguments of the counsels.
At the resumed hearing of the bail application on Friday at the
federal high court in Abuja, Falana told the court that defendants
should be presumed innocent in line with section 36 of the
constitution.
He submitted that the Supreme Court has never labelled the military
coup d'etat as a revolution.
He argued that the only option left for President Muhammadu Buhari was
to approach the court and sue the activist for libel.
Falana asked the Department of State Services (DSS) to cite any
section of the law where protest is being criminalized.
He said when Buhari lost an election in 2011 he called for revolution
through a protest in Kano.
He added that the court of appeal held that the police permit had
outlived its usefulness and that the protesters did not need a police
permit to stage a peaceful protest.
"It is the duty of the police to protect the protesters so that
hoodlums do not take over the protests," he said.
Falana urged the court to admit his clients to bail on liberal terms.
The prosecution counsel, Hassan Liman, in his own argument asked the
court to consider the severity of the offence committed by the
defendant.
He, therefore, asked the court to dismiss the application.