Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday ordered the remand of detained Convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore, and one Olawale Bakare in custody of the Department of State Service (DSS) pending the hearing and determination of their bail application.
Sowore and Bakare were arraigned on a seven count criminal charge bordering on treasonable felony and money laundering.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
However the court refused an oral application for the bail of the first defendant, Sowore, who has been in custody of the DSS since August 3 when he was arrested in Lagos by men of the security operatives.
Justice Ojukwu subsequently adjourned till October 3 to hear the bail application of the defendants.
She ordered that the defendants be remanded in the custody of the DSS.
Earlier the judge ordered the defendants to enter their plea in a short ruling after their initial refusal on the grounds they were not ready.
According to their lawyer, A. Olumide SAN, since the charge was filed on September 20 against the defendants they have not had access to their lawyers who would have properly guided them on the charges.
Olumide SAN, said part of the process of arraignment was that the defendants should have access to their lawyers before they can take their plea.
Olumide told the court that though the charge was served on the defendants on September 20, he only saw it Monday morning through one of the defendants, adding that Falana only called him on Sunday to ask him to stand in for him after he learnt from news reports that the defendants would be arraigned today.
Olumide speaking further submitted that the defendants were not ready to take their plea because the prosecution was yet to comply with the order of Justice Taiwo on the release of Sowore.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court had on September 24 ordered the immediate release of Sowore following the expiration of an earlier order for his detention for 45 days.
As part of the conditions, Sowore was ordered to deposit his international passport with the Deputy Registrar of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
He was to be released to his lawyer, Falana SAN, who must produce him for trial anytime.
However in his response counsel to the federal government, Hassan Liman SAN, said the refusal was not fair to the prosecution, having served the defendants with the charge since September 20.
He submitted that the prosecution was not guilty of disobedience of an order of court because the order was made pending the arraignment of the first defendant.
Liman while arguing that the order of Sowore’s release expired with the arraignment this morning, urged the court to order the defendants to take their plea.
In a short ruling Justice Ojukwu said their were evidence that the defendants were served on September 20 and they didn’t need the guidance of a lawyer to take their plea, as it is not the lawyer that will answer for them.
On the issue of alleged disobedience to the order of Justice Taiwo for the release of Sowore, Justice Ojukwu held that the said order did not prohibit the arraignment of the first defendant and accordingly called on the defendants to take their plea.
Details later…
