By Camillus Eboh
ABUJA, Sept 24 (Reuters) - A court in Nigeria's capital
Abuja on Tuesday ordered the State Security Service to release
activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore while
charges of treason against him are pending.
Security agents arrested Sowore in early August after he
called for a revolution. He said it was needed because an
election held in February, in which President Muhammadu Buhari
won a second term, was not credible.
Buhari, a former military ruler, faces criticism for his
administration's record on human rights, particularly a deadly
crackdown on members of a now-banned Shi'ite group that a United
Nations special rapporteur said involved the excessive use of
lethal force. In his call for a revolution, Sowore - who ran in February's
election and is the founder of the news site Sahara Reporters -
listed other issues ranging from alleged corruption to
ineptitude.
The government last week outlined charges against him
including treason, money laundering and "cyberstalking" for
allegedly sharing false information about Buhari that insulted
him and incited hated against him.
Sowore has yet to be arraigned, and the judge on Tuesday
rejected a request by the State Security Service to extend his
detention while the charges are pending.
"The liberty of all Nigerians, high or low, poor or rich, is
guaranteed by the constitution. It's for this end that I'm of
the view that the defendant ought to be released forthwith,"
Justice Taiwo Taiwo said.
In the charges filed last week, the government accused
Sowore of money laundering related to four transfers to a Sahara
Reporters account in New York that it alleged were done to hide
the "illicit origin" of the cash.
It was unclear when Sowore would be released, and once he is
arraigned, he could be taken into custody again. The court
ordered him to surrender all his travel documents within 48
hours, and said his lawyer should be prepared to bring him to
the court at any point.