A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Kuje, Abuja, has granted bail to publisher and activist Omoyele Sowore, alongside Aloy Ejimakor, one of the lawyers representing the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, as well as Kanu’s brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and ten others.
The court, on Friday, ordered that all thirteen defendants be released on bail in the sum of ₦500,000 each, with two sureties in like sum.
They were arrested and arraigned for allegedly inciting public disturbance and breaching public peace during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in Abuja on Monday, October 20, 2025.
According to reports, while Ejimakor, Emmanuel Kanu, and the other ten defendants were apprehended during the protest and subsequently remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Sowore was arrested later on October 23, at the premises of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he had attended Kanu’s terrorism trial to show solidarity.
The activist’s arrest sparked widespread reactions, with several political figures and civil rights groups condemning what they described as an attempt to stifle peaceful dissent.
Among those who criticised the arrest were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and some northern advocacy groups, who called for restraint and respect for citizens’ constitutional rights to peaceful protest.
The court’s decision to grant bail has been welcomed by supporters of the defendants, who view it as a reaffirmation of judicial independence and a step towards ensuring fairness in politically sensitive cases.
Further proceedings in the matter are expected to continue as the police carry out additional investigations into the circumstances surrounding the protest and the alleged offences.
