Femi Falana, a senior advocate of
Nigeria (SAN), says the government will be making a mistake if it files charges
against Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore, who is the convener of
#RevolutionNow movement, has been detained by the Department of State Services
(DSS) since Saturday.
The DSS had accused him of
threatening public peace and safety with his planned nationwide protest.
But speaking at an event
organised by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) on Tuesday,
the senior lawyer who though did not mention President Muhammadu Buhari’s name
directly, said Sowore had briefed him from detention that in the case he would
be charged, his first witness would be someone in government who in 2011 also
called for a revolution.
Then a presidential candidate of
the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Buhari had called for a revolution
in Nigeria – although through an electoral process.
Sowore, according to Falana,
refused to write a statement, insisting the DSS allow him to speak with his
lawyer.
“I do hope that the government
will not be stupid to charge Sowore. In fairness to them (DSS), they gave him a
telephone to phone me. Of course I knew they were monitoring the phone, and I
told him I hope they won’t charge you, because if they do, some of the people
in government will be our witnesses,” he said.
“You know why? One of them, I
won’t mention his name. In 2011, he asked Nigerians to learn from the Egyptian
revolution and be ready for a revolution in Nigeria. So, he will be my first
witness.
“The late Chief Gani Fawehinmi
and four other people were charged with treasonable felony by the Ibrahim
Babangida junta. I was one of them. We were detained in Kuje prison for two
months. We were taken to the court, and what was the offence? I think we went beyond
Sowore. We posted thousands of posters across the country, that Babangida must
go. That was the treasonable felony.”
Falana, who stood in defence
alongside Fawehinmi, said they argued that the then military president did not
come to office through constitutional means.
He added that those in government
now harassing Nigerians with treason would someday, too, be tried for treason.
It is not clear if Sowore will be
charged as Peter Afunanya, DSS spokesperson is yet to respond to messages
seeking development on the matter.
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