The Federal High Court, Abuja has reduced the previous bail condition of Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore.
The court had granted Sowore a N100m bail among other conditions for his release.
But Sowore’s lawyer Femi Falana pleaded for a variation of the bail conditions.
The court, however, reduced from the bail charges initial N100 million to N50 million.
Also, the bail charges for #RevolutionNow protester Olawale Bakare was reduced from N50 million to N20 million.
Speaking with journalists after Monday’s court hearing, Falana said, “the bail conditions have been reduced and reviewed.”
“Neither of them (Sowore and Bakare) is required to get a surety to deposit for them in line with the provisions.”
Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) was arrested August 3, 2019, for organising the #RevolutionNow protest.
The Nigeria police and government accused Sowore of plotting to topple President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
He, however, denied the accusations.
Prior to re-arraignment, a federal high court sitting in Abuja presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo in September ordered the immediate release of Sowore.
The judge ruled that there was no extant order allowing Sowore’s further detention before the court after the expiration of the 45 days it granted DSS to detain him.
“The order of court has expired. It has not been renewed and cannot be renewed in view of the motion ex-parte earlier withdrawn,” the judge said at that time.
But the Nigerian government filed additional charges against Sowore on Friday, September 20, a day before the completion of the initial 45 days the court allowed the DSS to keep him in custody.
Subsequently, he was re-arraigned on Monday, September 30, 2019, by the DSS on a 7-count charge bothering on treasonable felony, cyber-stalking and transfer of illicit funds.
