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Don't Tell Sowore I Bungled His Appeal, Judge Begs Femi Falana

January 19, 2022

Responding, the obviously embarrassed judge, who had earlier leniently allowed the Nigerian Government to smuggle in a belatedly-filed counter motion, told the senior lawyer not to tell Sowore that he messed up his appeal.

A judge at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, Justice H.S Tsammani, has pleaded with Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, not to intimate his client, Omoyele Sowore, that he bungled his case challenging the ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja, confining him to the Federal Capital Territory since 2019.

Operatives of the Department of State Services had arrested Sowore in the early hours of August 3, 2019 for calling on Nigerians to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations to demand a better country from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.  

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The activist was kept in unlawful detention from that period until December 5, 2019 when he was finally released on bail despite two court orders earlier sanctioning his freedom. 

In a twist of event, DSS operatives invaded the Federal High Court in Abuja on December 6, 2019 to rearrest him without any court order. 

He remained in unlawful detention until 18 days later when he was released by the secret police for the second time.

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The trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, had granted Sowore N100million bail with two sureties who must be residents of Abuja and have landed properties within the Federal Capital Territory. 

The judge also ordered that one of the sureties must deposit N30million with the court pending the determination of the case. 

Sowore was also restricted to the Federal Capital Territory pending the determination of the case.

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The former presidential candidate, however, approached the Appeal Court over the stringent bail conditions especially his restriction to Abuja.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Wednesday, the three-man panel headed by Justice Tsammani claimed that an application to allow Sowore travel to the United States to attend to his health and also his son, who was ill, was not included in the appeal.

Shocked at the development, Falana told Tsammani that the application was part of the appeal from the beginning and urged him to check the record.

Responding, the obviously embarrassed judge, who had earlier leniently allowed the Nigerian Government to smuggle in a belatedly-filed counter motion, told the senior lawyer not to tell Sowore that he messed up his appeal.

Falana further explained to the the three justices including B.I Gafai and B.A Georgewill, who persistently communicated throughout the proceedings, that the records they asked for was in the court file before them and asked them for short adjournment so that he could avail them with certified true copy of their own order.

The case was adjourned until January 31, 2022 for further hearing.