The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has said that the release of the Convener of Revolution Now, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, is not a decision he could take on his own.
Malami made the statement in response to the call of Sowore’s lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, that Malami should effect the release of his client.
Recall that Malami took over Sowore’s case from the Department of State Services on Friday, pointing out that his action was to speed up the case.
But following Falana’s request, Malami said the case was already in court and he could not order Sowore’s release.
“When parties submit their issues for determination to a court of law, they lack exclusivity of decision over such issues without recourse to the court.
“We remain guided by the established tradition and will not take unilateral decision without recourse to the rule of law,” he said in a statement issued by his media aide, Umar Gwandu.
Sowore was arrested in August following a plan to organise a protest against the government.
The protest, Revolution Now, was quashed by security operatives who barricaded the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, venue of the protest.
The court later ordered Sowore’s release by the DSS after he had met his bail conditions.
The DSS was not bothered until the court gave it an ultimatum.
The DSS eventually complied, only to re-arrest Sowore barely a few hours after.
He was said to have been arrested on fresh charges.
The alleged invasion of the court to re-arrest Sowore sparked off controversy, making many in Nigeria and outside to query the government’s violation of human rights.
