Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Department of State Services of using the case against him to punish him for calling out President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He made the claim on Tuesday after his trial continued at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
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Sowore, who shared his position on his X account, said the charges were brought against him because of his posts online in which he criticised the President. He said the court session looked like an attempt to create the picture that speaking against those in power could be treated as a crime in Nigeria. According to him, the DSS prosecutor and lawyers representing Facebook supported the request that he should be detained, even though he maintained that he had done nothing wrong.
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He argued that the real target was his voice, which he said had become a problem for the current administration. He stated that the push for his detention was only meant to quiet opposition and give the public the wrong idea that criticism could be restricted.
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Sowore added that the judge did not agree with the push for his detention. He said the judge granted him bail on self-recognisance, which he viewed as a clear sign that the case lacked merit. He further claimed that the prosecution wanted him to give an undertaking in court that he would stop criticising Tinubu, but he refused.
He said he told the court that he would not accept any condition that required him to stay silent. He stated that he would continue to speak against what he described as bad policies and wrong actions by those in government. He said no security agency or government official would force him to stop talking.
Sowore ended by saying that he and his supporters would continue to challenge the case against him. He insisted that he would keep speaking for Nigerians whose rights were being denied, adding that no amount of court cases or pressure would stop the push for change.
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