Court Denies Sowore’s Passport Release As Judge Liman Takes Prosecutorial Role

Ruling on the utility filed by Sowore’s attorney, Abubakar Marshal, on Tuesday, the deem took an surprisingly prosecutorial stance for the length of the hearing.

Justice Musa Suleiman Liman of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has denied the request of of civil rights activist Omoyele Sowore for the short free up of his passport, combating him from travelling in a foreign country to sight his household and endure a routine clinical test-up.

Ruling on the utility filed by Sowore’s attorney, Abubakar Marshal, on Tuesday, the deem took an surprisingly prosecutorial stance for the length of the hearing.

He argued that Sowore didn’t convince the court docket, citing the activist’s omission of his accomplice and children’s names within the utility.

Justice Liman additional acknowledged that the court docket was now not convinced Sowore had a household, casting doubt on the justification for releasing his passport for toddle to the united states.

All the strategy thru the complaints, Justice Liman incessantly contradicted himself, acknowledging that the trial had now not but begun and that the defendant was legally entitled to his freedom.

While addressing concerns he personally raised in opposition to the utility, the deem argued that the e-impress submitted as proof lacked the airline’s title and pushed aside the airline’s email affirmation as resembling a bulk SMS in space of a proper verbal replace.

On Monday, March 3, 2025, the federal deem openly displayed bias and sympathy toward the prosecution, showing a clear curiosity in denying the activist’s request of for the short free up of his passport.

The deem firmly rejected the arguments offered by the activist and even went thus far as threatening to detention heart Sowore for requesting permission to talk in court docket to account for foremost aspects concerning the e-impress and email message.

Justice Liman is the presiding deem within the defamation case filed by Inspector Overall of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over Sowore’s reference to him as an “Illegal IGP.”

Talking to journalists out of doors the court, Sowore acknowledged he was now not greatly surprised by the ruling, mentioning that he had anticipated it. He added that the justice plot within the nation has been hijacked by criminals.

He acknowledged, “Factual as we have got predicted, the deem has performed his worst; he has denied me the passport they possess got all alongside targeted. There would possibly be nothing unfamiliar in regards to the deem’s resolution this day. 

“We now possess identified all alongside that they are all in mattress together to suppose me the coolest of freedom of circulate and different to freely exercise my rights as a citizen of Nigeria which they possess got performed since my college days when I used to be expelled by the militia twice and the persecution has now not stopped.

“Here’s factual the time we must forever all wrestle for the nation by which citizens aren’t denied their rights both by judicial or administrative route of or in criminal justice.  However actually that there is rarely forever any justice plot in this nation. It is miles criminals which possess hijacked our justice plot and that’s the truth.”

“It is miles now not a setback in anyway,” Sowore added.

SaharaReporters reported on Monday that for the length of the day’s hearing, the federal deem grew to became antagonistic toward Sowore, threatening to detention heart him for speaking within the court whereas embarking on a cynical repudiation of his causes for seeking the short free up of his passport.

Justice Liman, who’s presiding over the alleged criminal defamation case filed by Inspector Overall of Police Kayode Egbetokun in opposition to Sowore for relating to him as an “Illegal IGP,” perceived to care for discontinuance on the feature of the prosecution.

With the Nigerian police arriving in court docket poorly ready to defend their opposition to Sowore’s passport request of, the deem took it upon himself to undertaking the request of.

The activist reaffirmed his Nigerian citizenship, mentioning that he would in no method fly over what he known as the “farcical charges” filed in opposition to him by the “Illegal IGP, Kayode Egbetokun.”

He added that he was ready to race to detention heart if the court docket attempted to gag him over his request of.

The altercation between Sowore and Justice Liman started when the deem insisted that if Sowore was travelling to talk over alongside with his accomplice and children within the U.S., he will deserve to possess listed their names in his circulate to substantiate their space and space.

In response, Sowore criticised the deem, accusing him of cutting back the court docket to a platform for frivolous grandstanding in space of a space committed to handing over justice.

Justice Liman, nonetheless, persevered to interrogate the authenticity of the paperwork linked to Sowore’s utility, mentioning that they didn’t sufficiently demonstrate he had household within the U.S.

Sowore made these remarks on Monday in Abuja for the length of the hearing of a circulate filed by his attorney, Abubakar Marshal, requesting the short free up of his passport.

The request of was to enable him to toddle to the US to talk over alongside with his household and endure a routine clinical test-up.

Talking from the defendant’s field, Sowore seen how the deem consistently pushed aside the proof linked to his utility.

Justice Liman systematically rejected the entire causes offered by Sowore, insisting they had been now not tenable and convincing.

He namely argued that Sowore’s affidavits didn’t mention the names of his accomplice and children, which he claimed was valuable to steer the court docket.

The deem also puzzled the validity of Sowore’s flight booking email, claiming it was now not in a format he recognised. In the initiating set, he even lied that Sowore’s title was now not on the impress, highest to backtrack when it was identified to him.

He then shifted level of curiosity, claiming that the airline’s title was lacking. When educated that it was a U.S. service, United Airlines, he misinterpreted “UNITED POLARIS” on the impress, suggesting it was now not from the airline.

Sowore then enlightened the deem that “United Polaris” referred to the airline’s enterprise class seating and that the impress was an decent e-impress issued by the airline.

This followed a claim by the police attorney, Ibrahim Mohammed, who acknowledged that he had asked a great friend at Abuja airport in regards to the impress and was told it was for a time out to Uganda, now not the U.S.

On the opposite hand, as soon because it grew to became clear to Justice Liman that the impress was indeed for a U.S. time out, he shifted his level of curiosity, insisting that Sowore must provide a entire clinical history and a letter from his doctor within the U.S. to provide an explanation for his request of.

In response, Sowore’s lead attorney, Abubakar Marshal of Falana and Falana’s Chambers, argued that a clinical file was pointless since Sowore was now not ill and was now not seeking clinical treatment.

He explained that what had been submitted as proof was a text message from Sowore’s valuable care group at Columbia College, requesting him to time table a routine clinical instruct over with upon his arrival within the U.S.

At that level, Sowore asked Justice Liman for added clarification on the topic, however the deem refused, mentioning that he can even now not instruct for himself.

Sowore acknowledged, “My Lord, pointless to claim, I’m in a position to also instruct for myself. I am a citizen of this nation, and I’m the one on trial earlier than you and if I’m in a position to’t discover justice from the court docket then the court docket can as neatly throw me into detention heart.

“I’m talking to guide the court docket; Lagos has an airport code (LOS) and Washington Dulles Airport – my level of first arrival – has an airport code (IAD). How can even then you undoubtedly have the police attorney that this impress earlier than you is for going to Uganda? Attain you have I’m in a position to deceive you?

“To your files, I’ll now not bustle faraway from my nation.”

Extra makes an try by Justice Liman to silence Sowore failed to seem to faze the activist.

On the opposite hand, the deem somehow acknowledged that the court docket held no personal grudge in opposition to anyone but was highest in paperwork he can even clearly note.

In his submission, Abubakar Marshal argued that his client had a right perfect to sight his accomplice and children, which was one of the most key causes for requesting the free up of his passport.

He reminded the court docket that Sowore had beforehand faced same politically motivated charges within the same court docket, which had been somehow pushed aside.

On condition that Sowore failed to fly the nation in 2019 when facing trumped-up treason-linked charges, Marshal asserted that his client would return to Nigeria to continue his trial.

He urged the court docket to grant the request of, emphasising that Sowore had supplied exact causes to provide an explanation for it.

On the opposite hand, the prosecution opposed the circulate, claiming—with out proof—that the message from Sowore’s doctor was a bulk SMS in space of a proper email.