Convener of #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore, and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, have pleaded not guilty to seven counts of treasonable felony and other sundry offences instituted against them by the Federal Government.
They were arraigned on Monday before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
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They had initially declined to enter their plea.
Justice Ojukwu dismissed the objection of the defendants’ lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, to the arraignment.
Olumide-Fusika argued that the arraignment should be stopped because the Department of State Services (DSS) disobeyed the court order for Sowore’s release on September 24.
He also argued that the DSS had restricted the defendants from consulting with their lawyers after the charges were filed.
Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, has been in DSS custody since August 3 for allegedly calling for “revolution” through the protest that was scheduled for August 5.
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The prosecution led by Hassan Liman, however, urged the court to continue with the arraignment as the defendants had already been served with the charges.
Mr Liman added that the order for the release of the defendants had lapsed since the defendants had been produced in court for arraignment.
