The Federal High Court in Abuja has varied the bail conditions granted the convener of #RevolutionNow Protest, Omoyele Sowore, and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu granted the order in a ruling on the application for bail variation by the duo charged with treasonable felony, among others.
She waived the earlier requirement that one of Sowore’s sureties should deposit N50m as security. She also reduced the amount attached to Bakare’s bail from N50m to N20m.
The judge had earlier ruled that one of Sowore’s sureties much deposit N100m in the court’s bank account as security.
The court on October 4 granted them bail on conditions, which the applicants considered stringent and decided to approach the court for variation.
Justice Ojukwu, however, refused to vary all other bail conditions.
She said the decision to restrain the defendants from participating in rallies was in order in view of the nature of the case.
She adjourned the case till November 6 and 7 for the commencement of trial.
The judge on October 4 granted Sowore bail in the sum of N100m with two sureties in the same amount, and barred him from travelling out of Abuja.
During Monday’s proceedings, the judge granted Bakare bail in the sum of N50m with a surety in the same amount and barred him from travelling out of his base in Osogbo, except while coming for the trial in Abuja.
Justice Ojukwu ordered that the sureties, who must be resident in Abuja, must also have landed property worth the bail sum in Abuja, and should deposit the documents of title with the court.
She added that the defendants be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services pending when they were able to meet the bail conditions.
Sowore’s lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), informed the court that the motion was in respect of an aspect of the bail requiring one of the sureties to deposit N50m.
He cited the case of ex-National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki where the court imposed the same conditions and the Court of Appeal overruled.
Falana averred that the Appeal Court held that bail conditions granted must be workable, bearable and not difficult to meet.
He also referred to the ruling of Justice Taiwo Taiwo, who had ordered the DSS to release Sowore to him after he had deposited his passport with the court.
He added that the order had not been set aside till date.
On the order restricting Sowore to Abuja, Falana urged the court to review the order on the grounds that his client had no house in Abuja to stay pending the hearing and determination of the suit.
However, counsel for the Federal Government, Hassan Liman (SAN), opposed the application.
He argued that the application was premised on information extracted from the applicant’s affidavit and not the person who deposed to it.
He prayed the court to dismiss the application on the grounds that it was not supported by a valid affidavit.