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 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.
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.”
Tragedy struck at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi (ATBU) on Tuesday as four students of the school drowned when a pedestrian bridge within the campus in Gubi, Bauchi State collapsed.
Reports said the tragedy occurred around 12:00am when some of the students were leaving the campus after reading overnight for exams.
The bridge, which linked the university and the hostels, was said to have collapsed under the current of the water underneath.
Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Abdulazeez Ahmed confirmed to Channels TV that four students died and eight others injured.
Students of the university were, however, currently protesting, blaming the bridge collapse on negligence by the institution’s authorities.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has released his official portrait and how he should be addressed.
A statement from the Senate President’s Media office on Tuesday said Lawan is now to be addressed as: Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, Ph.D, CON, as indicated on the portrait.
The police on Tuesday arraigned five people and a lawyer for the #RevolutionNow protests, in an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
The police charged Ehis Omoshomio, 35; Gabriel Ojumah, 51, Juwon Sanyaolu, 22; Stanley Anobi, 28; Elias Ozikpu, 30; Kenechukwu Ukachukwu, 25, with two counts of unlawful assembly and conduct likely to cause breach of the peace.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.
Mr Ibijoke Akinpelu counsel from the State Criminal Intelligence and Information Department (SCIID) Panti, and the resident prosecutor, Insp. Kehinde Omisakin, said that the defendants committed the offence on Aug. 5, at 10 a.m., at Surulere Stadium.
Akinpelu alleged that the six defendants, assembled at the National Stadium Surulere to protest, adding that the gathering was unlawful and caused fear to the public.
The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of Sections 44 and 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Chief Magistrate A.O. Komolafe admitted Ojumah, a lawyer, to bail based on self- recognition and the other five defendants N100, 000 each with two sureties each in like sum.
Komolafe adjourned the case until Sept. 26 for mention.
Nigerian renowned artist, David Dale, has died in Lagos. He died on Tuesday at the Military Hospital, Yaba at about 4am, after a long and traumatic battle with stroke.
The artist, famous for the stained glass technique had faced health challenges which had been a collective concern of the Nigerian art community.
He has been in and out of coma, and recently he broke a thigh bone that required a surgery.
Thereafter, he suffered another stroke that impaired his speech and ability to recognise people
