WE REJECT AND CONDEMN THE PUNITIVE, OPPRESSIVE, AND EXCESSIVE BAIL CONDITIONS IMPOSED ON OMOYELE SOWORE AS A FURTHER ACT OF POLITICAL PERSECUTION

PRESS STATEMENT

WE REJECT AND CONDEMN THE PUNITIVE, OPPRESSIVE, AND EXCESSIVE BAIL CONDITIONS IMPOSED ON OMOYELE SOWORE AS A FURTHER ACT OF POLITICAL PERSECUTION

The Take It Back Movement unequivocally rejects and condemns the outrageous, punitive, and manifestly excessive bail conditions imposed on the Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, by the Federal High Court following the restoration of his bail today.

We cannot ignore the disturbing reality that the conditions attached to his release amount to punishment before trial. Requiring the surrender of his international passport, two sureties in the sum of ₦200 million each, one of whom must be a traditional ruler and the other the owner of landed property in Abuja, is plainly excessive and bears no reasonable relationship to ensuring his attendance in court.

These conditions reinforce the widespread concern that this prosecution is driven less by the pursuit of justice than by a determination to frustrate, intimidate, and silence one of Nigeria’s most consistent voices against corruption, oppression, and abuse of power.

For years, Omoyele Sowore has appeared before courts whenever required. His commitment to the rule of law has never been in doubt. The recent revocation of his bail, his incarceration in Kuje Prison, and now the imposition of these extraordinary conditions raise serious questions about whether the machinery of the state is being deployed to persecute dissent rather than uphold justice.

Justice must never become an instrument of political repression. Bail exists to secure attendance in court, not to impose impossible hurdles or to keep citizens in perpetual legal bondage. Courts must remain the last refuge of the oppressed, not another arena where democratic rights are undermined through procedural punishment.

The Take It Back Movement therefore calls for the immediate review of these oppressive bail conditions in line with the constitutional principles of fairness, reasonableness, and the presumption of innocence. We also call on all lovers of democracy to remain vigilant and continue speaking out against the shrinking democratic space in Nigeria.

Let it be known that no amount of intimidation, judicial harassment, or state-sponsored persecution will extinguish the Nigerian people’s legitimate demand for freedom, justice, accountability, and genuine democracy. The struggle for a liberated Nigeria cannot be imprisoned, and it cannot be defeated through punitive bail conditions.

History has consistently shown that repression only strengthens the resolve of a determined people. The Take It Back Movement remains steadfast, united, and unwavering. We shall continue to organise, mobilise, and resist every attempt to criminalise dissent until Nigeria belongs to its people and not to those who wield power without accountability.

Signed:
Comrade Juwon Sanyaolu
National Coordinator
Take It Back Movement