Dare Babalola
Amnesty International has condemned the Nigerian authorities for what it describes as the relentless harassment and persecution of Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher.
The global human rights organisation, in a statement posted on its X handle on Wednesday, criticised the ongoing trial of Sowore on charges of terrorism financing, money laundering, and fraudulent activities, describing them as baseless and politically motivated attempts to silence him.
The charges against Sowore follow a recent ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja, which ordered six banks to provide the police with details of bank accounts linked to Sowore and his companies as part of an investigation into alleged terrorism funding and money laundering.
Amnesty International described Sowore’s arraignment as another attempt to crack down on his human rights.
Amnesty International has called on the Nigerian authorities to immediately drop all charges against Sowore and end the politically motivated investigation. The organisation believes that the investigation and charges are part of a wider attempt to crack down on civic space and peaceful dissent in Nigeria.
“Nigerian authorities must allow Sowore to freely exercise his human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association,” Amnesty International stressed.
“Omoyele Sowore — who was declared Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience in November 2019 has endured repeated arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions, and other violations of his human rights solely for carrying out peaceful activism for human rights, social justice, and the rule of law in the country,” Amnesty International added.
