By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukeu
A Magistrate Court sitting in Kuje, Abuja, has granted bail to human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, and several others arrested during a protest in the nation’s capital.
The presiding magistrate, Abubakar Umar Sai’id, ruled that Sowore and the other defendants be released on bail in the sum of ₦500,000 each.
Among those granted bail is Aloy Ejimakor, one of the disengaged counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. Others include Emmanuel Kanu, Joshua Emmanuel, Wilson Anyalewechi, Okere Kingdom Nnamdi, Clinton Chimeneze, Gabriel Joshua, Isiaka Husseini, Onyekachi Ferdinand, Amadi Prince, Edison Ojisom, Godwill Obioma, and Chima Onuchukwu.
The court had earlier remanded Ejimakor and 11 others for allegedly inciting public disturbance during the protest that led to their arrest. The defendants were reportedly picked up at various locations across Abuja on Monday.
As part of the bail conditions, Magistrate Sai’id directed each defendant to present a verified National Identification Number (NIN), a three-year tax clearance certificate, and their international passports.
Sowore, who is also the publisher of Sahara Reporters, was arrested on Thursday shortly after leaving the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he had attended a separate proceeding.
His arrest sparked public outrage, with human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong condemning the action in a post on X. Effiong accused the police and the Tinubu administration of undermining judicial independence, describing the incident as “an assault on civil liberties.”
The protest, which demanded the release of detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, had earlier been cautioned against by the police. Despite the warning, Sowore reportedly insisted on exercising his constitutional right to peaceful protest, leading to his arrest alongside others.