The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has declared the detention of Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, by the Federal Government for about 144 days in 2019 as arbitrary under international law.

This was contained in the decision of the group titled, ‘Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its eighty-seventh session, 27 April–1 May 2020’ and released on October 6, 2019.

The UN group, after analysing the circumstances of the arrest and detention of Sowore as well as the charges instituted against him, called on the Nigerian government to stop its unlawful prosecution of the activist.

The Working Group described the charges against Sowore as; “quite vaguely defined,” and added that “such vagueness seems to have been used to make an ordinary exercise of freedoms sound like a threat to national security and/or a terrorist act.”

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention was established in resolution 1991/42 of the Commission on Human Rights, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 60/251 and Human Rights Council decision 1/102, the Council assumed the mandate of the Commission.

Sowore was arrested in August 2019 for planning to organise anationwide protest tagged #RevolutionNow which was aimed at demanding better governance in the country.

The activist and former presidential candidate, who was detained by the Department of State Services up till December 24, 2019, was charged with treasonable felony for allegedly attempting to topple the presidency of Muhammadu Buhari.

The opinion of the working group reads in part, “The deprivation of liberty of Omoyele Sowore, being in contravention of articles 9 and 11 (2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 2, 3, 9, 14 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is arbitrary and falls within categories I, II, III and V.

“The Working Group requests the Government of Nigeria to take the steps necessary to remedy the situation of Mr. Sowore without delay and to bring it into conformity with the relevant international norms, including those set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” it added.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, refused to order the request by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation for Sowore’s arrest.

Sowore, though being restricted to remain in Abuja as stipulated in the terms and conditions of the bail granted him by the judge, was not present in court when the matter started on Wednesday- a development which prompted the prosecuting counsel, Kayode Alilu, to urge the court to order his arrest.

Defence counsel, Marshal Abubakar, objected to the request, revealing that Sowore informed him earlier before the proceedings that he developed an ailment.

In the ensuing back-and-forth between the defence and the prosecution, Sowore arrived at the courtroom.

The judge, who declined to grant the prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant against the defendant, adjourned the trial till December 10 and 11.