The group vowed to storm the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 5, 2023, when Sowore’s matter will again come up.
Human rights and pro-democracy group, Take It Back Movement (TIB) has called for an immediate end to the persecution of activist, Omoyele Sowore.
The group also urged the judiciary to end its collaboration with President Muhammadu Buhari, who was accused of using the courts, detentions and police attacks to persecute the candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections.
It vowed to storm the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 5, 2023, when Sowore’s matter will again come up.
In a statement on Sunday, Take It Back Movement said, “Sowore is appearing in court on June 5 for the treason case as a major of the various persecution against the leader of the AAC, for being the most real of the opposition to the continuous impunity and subjugations to the forces of oppressions.
“One cannot but verily commend great Nigerians who have stood gallantly as sureties in this particular case, even at the risk of their own lives, properties and careers.
“Of course, persecutions are part of the reasons a grand failure like Buhari is safely speaking in the country today talking from all sides of the mouth in the celebration so we could bear with the obvious pains and mass hardships in the perpetuation of rogueries and treacheries from the top.
“As we prepare to storm the court on June 5, we demand an immediate end to the persecution that has kept Sowore away from his wife, and children over the past five years. We urge the judiciary to end its collaboration with the Buhari government to keep using the courts, detentions, and police attacks against Comrade Omoyele Sowore by lifting all conditions attached to his bail, and declaring true justice.”
Nigeria’s secret police, Department of State Services (DSS) had arrested and arraigned Sowore and Olawale Bakare for treasonable felony for organising the ‘Revolution Now’ protest on August 5, 2019, which the government desperately used security agents to clamp down on.
Also, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had adjourned for judgment in the fundamental rights enforcement suits filed by Sowore to challenge his coordinated attack, arrest and illegal shooting at various times by the agents of the Nigeria Police.
His counsel, Tope Temokun had urged the court to grant the prayers of the applicant, Sowore, by declaring his arrest at the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 26, 2021, and his shooting on May 31, 2021, at Unity Fountain in Abuja during a peaceful rally, illegal and unconstitutional.
The court also ordered notices of judgement to be served on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alkali Baba Usman, Attorney General of Federation, Abubakar Malami and CSP Altine Hyelhira Daniel.
The judge, therefore, adjourned the case to July 5, 2023, for judgment.
Sowore was assaulted and subsequently arrested by a team of armed policemen on July 26, 2021.
The team was led by Abdullahi Abubakar Hassan, the Divisional Police Officer, Federal Secretariat in Abuja during the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The activist was to attend the court proceedings of the five young activists who were arrested by the DSS for wearing T-shirts with the inscription 'BuhariMustGo' at Dunamis International Gospel Center, located along Airport Road in Abuja.
The activist through his lawyer, Temokun in separate fundamental rights enforcement suits marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1238/2021 and FHC/ABJ/CS/1239/2021, is seeking a court order directing the respondents to jointly pay him (applicant) the sum of ₦50,000,000.00 (Fifty million naira) as general and exemplary damages for the violation of his fundamental rights.
In the same vein, the activist is also challenging being shot with a teargas canister at close range with a projectile gun while attending a protest to demand an end to insecurity in the country at Unity Fountain by one CSP Altine, a female police officer.
Despite being on the ground with a deep injury on his thigh, the female officer instructed her men to fire more teargas toward Sowore to prevent people from saving him.
But he was eventually rushed to the hospital for treatment.
The reliefs sought in the suit include: “An order of the court directing the respondents, to pay jointly and severally to the Applicant, the sum of ₦50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira), only, as general and exemplary damages for the violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights.
“An order of the court, mandating the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th respondents to issue an apology to the applicant, to be published in two reputable national daily newspapers for the violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights as afore-stated and many others.”
Sowore had said he would not give up on challenging any act of impunity and human rights violation by security agencies under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.