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Court grants Sowore, Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, others N500,000 bail
A Magistrate’s Court in Kuje, Abuja, on Friday granted bail to publisher and activist, Omoyele Sowore; Aloy Ejimakor, a member of the legal team representing the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu; the IPOB leader’s brother, Emmanuel Kanu; and 10 others, in the sum of ₦500,000 each, with two sureties in like sum.
All 13 defendants were arrested and arraigned before the court for allegedly inciting public disturbance and breach of peace in connection with the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in Abuja on Monday, October 20.
While Ejimakor, Emmanuel Kanu, and the other 10 defendants were arrested during the protest and later remanded at the Kuje Correctional Facility, Sowore was apprehended on October 23 at the premises of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he had gone to show solidarity with Kanu during his ongoing terrorism trial.
The 13 defendants are: Omoyele Sowore, Aloy Ejimakor, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, Joshua Emmanuel, Bishop Wilson Anyalewechi, Okere Kingdom Nnamdi, Clinton Chimeneze, Gabriel Joshua, Isiaka Husseini, Onyekachi Ferdinand, Amadi Prince, Edison Ojisom, and Godswill Obiama.
The amended First Information Report, updated to include Sowore’s name stated that the protesters committed, “Criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, membership of an unlawful assembly, joining or continuing in unlawful assembly knowing it has been commanded to disperse, disobedience of order duly promulgated by a public servant, inciting disturbance, and disturbance of public peace contrary to sections 100, 101, 104, 152, 114 and 113 of the Penal Code Law.”
According to the charge, the defendants allegedly obstructed the movement of other citizens, disrupted the free flow of traffic, and chanted war songs while demanding Kanu’s release, in a manner said to threaten national security.
The charge further stated: “That you, Omoyele Sowore, fled upon sighting security agents and were later arrested. You thereby committed the above-mentioned offences.”
Ejimakor and 11 others were on Tuesday brought before the Magistrate’s Court by the police for arraignment, but the process was stalled due to the absence of legal representation.
As the defendants could not take their pleas, one of them, Nnamdi, who is also a legal practitioner, elected to represent himself. Ejimakor, however, requested a short adjournment to enable their legal team to arrive.
At the resumed sitting on Friday, the police counsel, Adama Musa, informed the court that the matter was scheduled for arraignment.
He said, “My Lord, the matter is for arraignment of the defendants, but we have an innocuous application to make. We have two First Information Reports — one dated 21 October and the other 23 October 2025. I apply to withdraw the FIR filed on 21 October 2025 and replace it with that of 23 October 2025. The essence is for the new report to cover all the defendants.”
The court granted his request, after which the amended FIR was read to the defendants for their pleas.
They all pleaded not guilty, insisting that the allegations against them were false.
Following their pleas, the prosecution requested a date for a hearing, while defence counsel, P. A. N. Ejoiofor, informed the court that a bail application had already been filed on behalf of the defendants.
He said, “We have filed and served a bail application supported by a 13-paragraph affidavit. We urge Your Lordship to grant all the prayers contained therein.”
However, the prosecution opposed the bail request, saying, “We have filed a 13-paragraph counter-affidavit dated and filed on 23 October. We rely on all the averments contained therein and urge the court to consider it in the interest of justice.”
In response, Ejiofor noted that the counter-affidavit filed by the prosecution did not bear the correct suit number of the case before the court.
He argued, “The counter-affidavit carries a different number. They are two separate matters, and as such, there is no valid counter-affidavit before this court”.
He explained that while there is a sister case with charge number CR/252/2025, the present one before the court is marked CR/253/2025. Therefore, the purported counter-affidavit is irrelevant.
Prosecutor Musa urged the court to disregard the objection, arguing that the content of the counter-affidavit should be considered regardless of the numbering error.
He said, “Whether the CR number is right or wrong, the decision to accept the counter-affidavit lies solely with the court. I urge Your Lordship to dismiss the objection, as this is not a matter of technicality.”
Ejoiofor, however, maintained that the counter-affidavit could not stand since it was filed under a different case number.
He argued, “If the document does not relate to this case, it is null and void. A counter-affidavit cannot be corrected by mere submission of counsel.”
He further urged the court to grant bail to the defendants, saying, “Some of these individuals are public figures. Sowore is a former presidential candidate; Bishop, Ejimakor, and Kanu’s brother are all well-known personalities. Many of them are legal practitioners with over 15 years at the Bar.”
The prosecution countered, saying: “They may be public figures to him, but not to me. Granting bail remains at the discretion of the court, and I urge your lordship not to grant bail to the defendants.”
In his ruling, the Magistrate agreed with the defence that the counter-affidavit was not validly filed for the present case.
He held, “There is no counter-affidavit before this court. I cannot rely on a document filed in another case to decide this one.”
Having made this clarification, the Magistrate proceeded to grant bail to all 13 defendants.
He admitted them to bail in the sum of ₦500,000, with two sureties in like sum.
The sureties are to present evidence of three years’ tax clearance, a valid means of identification such as a National Identification Number slip or an international passport.
The matter was subsequently adjourned till December 15, 2025, for hearing.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has disclosed that there are two main reasons a former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, is being detained by the commission.
It also revealed that legal action was taken against the Enugu-born politician after he failed to honour several invitations extended to him through a letter referenced ICPC/HC/CSTF/GUN/GBT/T.1/VOLV16, and dated 15 May 2026.
John Odey, the spokesman of the commission in a statement on Wednesday explained that the commission later approached Federal High Court, Abuja Division, with the suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026) in order to effect Nnaji’s arrest after his failure to honour invitation.
Nnaji was arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, when he boarded a private jet to Abuja.
Corroborating the development, the ICPC spokesman said Nnaji’s arrest was effected at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon his arrival where he was led to the commission’s custody immediately.
According to him, Nnaji is being probed on forgery of academic credentials, specifically concerning a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and False National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate, which was submitted during his ministerial screening process in 2023.
The statement read, “The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arrested the immediate past Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji (M), following the execution of a bench warrant issued by the Federal High Court of Nigeria.
“The arrest was effected on Wednesday, 1st July 2026 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon Mr. Nnaji’s arrival.
“He was apprehended with the assistance of the Department of State Services (DSS) and subsequently handed over to the ICPC for further investigation.
“The Commission had earlier extended formal invitations to the former minister through a letter referenced ICPC/HC/CSTF/GUN/GBT/T.1/VOLV16, dated 15 May 2026.
“The invitation notices were duly served to his known addresses in Abuja and Enugu, as well as via his electronic mail address.
“Despite service through multiple channels, Mr. Nnaji failed to appear for investigative interviews on the scheduled dates, necessitating further legal action.
“The legal action followed a court order granted by the Federal High Court in the Abuja Judicial Division (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026).
“The order, issued on 11 June 2026, directed the ICPC to arrest the former minister to enable investigation into allegations bordering on:
“Forgery of academic credentials, specifically concerning a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN); and “False National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate, which was submitted during his ministerial screening process in 2023.
“Following the arrest, Mr. Nnaji has been taken into custody at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, where investigations are expected to continue. The Commission assures the public that the matter will be pursued diligently in accordance with the law.”
The immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was arrested on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on arrival from Enugu via a chartered flight.
Authoritative sources at the airport confirmed the arrest to PREMIUM TIMES, saying Mr Nnaji would be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for interrogation.
The reported arrest comes weeks after the Federal High Court reportedly granted the ICPC permission to arrest and investigate Nnaji over the allegations.
The court also authorised the anti-graft agency to declare him wanted through newspapers, social media platforms and other media channels after the commission alleged that he repeatedly failed to honour invitations for questioning.
According to the ICPC, its application to the court followed Nnaji’s alleged refusal to appear before investigators despite several invitations relating to the forgery allegations.
The case stems from a two-year investigation published by Premium Times in October last year, which alleged that Nnaji submitted forged University of Nigeria degree and National Youth Service Corps certificates during his ministerial screening and confirmation process in 2023.
The report alleged that the documents were presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Senate, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the State Security Service.
According to the publication, Nnaji later acknowledged that the University of Nigeria did not issue him the degree certificate in question, a development the newspaper said corroborated its investigation.Newspapers
The former minister had previously denied the existence of the court order authorising his arrest, dismissing the publication as a “media trial.”
However, on June 18, he reportedly filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the arrest order.
As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had not issued an official statement confirming the reported arrest, while Nnaji’s legal team had yet to publicly respond to the latest development.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, restored the bail it had earlier granted to activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore is facing a two-count cybercrime charge filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) for calling President Bola Tinubu a “criminal” in a social media post.
Trial Justice Muhammed Umar, who had earlier granted the defendant bail on self-recognisance, on June 16 revoked the bail and issued a warrant for his arrest.
The order came after Sowore failed to appear before the court for the continuation of his trial, even though he wrote a letter explaining his absence and requesting a new date.
When proceedings resumed in the case on June 22, Justice Umar ordered the remand of the defendant in Kuje prison.
Dissatisfied with the actions the court took against him, Sowore—whose legal team had initially withdrawn from the case over alleged bias by the judge—secured a new lawyer, who promptly filed a motion to restore his bail and quash the arrest warrant.
When the case came up on Tuesday, Justice Umar held that he was minded to admit the defendant to bail.
However, the court listed some conditions that had to be met before he would be released from prison custody.
Aside from granting him bail to the tune of N200 million, the court held that the defendant must produce two sureties in like sum.
The court also ordered the defendant to surrender his international passport.
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Sowore, in the application he anchored on Sections 35(4), 36(1), and 66 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as Sections 169 and 352 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, insisted that the orders the court made against him were unjust and unwarranted.
The defendant had, on December 2, 2025, pleaded not guilty to the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The charges allege offences under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The offending posts, made on August 25, 2025, were in response to President Tinubu’s claim, made in Brazil, that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.
Angered by the posts, the DSS demanded that X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc. ban Sowore’s accounts and remove the posts.
The security agency also wrote to Sowore, asking him to delete the posts from all platforms.
Non-compliance with the request led to the charges.
The prosecution claims the defamatory posts were intended to cause a breakdown of law and order and to tarnish the president’s reputation.
Exhibits include printouts of the posts and the DSS letters.
X Inc. and Meta were initially co-defendants but were delisted in the amended charge.
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